Diamonds and Pearls
by alexwacrap
Summary: Another Jack and his daughter fic. Jack leaves Tara for a year, now she's back for her cousin's wedding, but what's she hiding and who's after her? Complete! Sequel to Diamonds and Pearls 2 on its way. Reposted for your enjoyment!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything familiar, for future references **

**Authors Note**

**This is my second Fanfic and, taking as my first didn't do as well as I'd hoped, but well nonetheless, I thought, a little less magic, a little more Pirate! Still, if you're wondering, there will be plenty of magic! I love magic…**

**This Prologue is in two parts: **

15 year old, Tara Bell gazed sadly out over the water from the deck of the merchant vessel, the _Wisdom Cross_. This ship was carrying her and her 27 fellow passengers a world away, to Kingston, Jamaica. As they left Portsmouth and the English Channel, and the tow boats retreated to their Ports, a booming voice rang out across the deck, 'Sail Ho!' and the brilliant, white sails, billowed out as they unfurled.

The weather couldn't be more befitting in Tara's opinion. It was cloudy, overcast and dark. It was raining but there was no wind, and lighting flashed in the distance.

She leaned on the railing before her. Her mother had claimed she seemed a lot like her father, but Tara could never understand why, they were never close and Tara barely ever spoke to him. Gregory Bell was a cold-hearted tyrant, who only married Holly Swann because of the inheritance money left to her by her parents. This was not uncommon. But it came as a surprise to Holly and Tara, when they learned that Gregory Bell had been in an accident with some wild horses on his private plantation. His funeral was a sorrow-less affair; people came out of curiosity or to gossip about his, "disloyalties". By this time, Tara was a 12 year old, young lady, and knew that the man she had been forced to call "father" all her life, was not, in fact, biologically related to her at allTara did not dwell on this; rather she considered it a blessing.

Holly and Tara lived happily for two years, then Holly became sick. The suffering lasted only two months, the doctors said there was nothing they could do. On her deathbed Holly told Tara that everything, the wealth, the homes, the various plantations all over the world, would be left to her. Tara also received another gift. A pendant, a large black pearl, which formed the end of a teardrop of diamonds.

'It's magical,' Holly said as Tara put it on, 'it channel's power, and there's only one person who can unlock it once you put it on.

Tara looked up in alarm, as she had just hung the silver chain around her neck, but Holly just smiled.

'Who can unlock it mother?' Tara asked.

Holly closed her eyes. 'The original owner, your father.'

Tara looked up from the pendant, her eyes narrowed. 'My father? Who is he?'

'Jack Sparrow…'

Tara stared, unwilling to believe this was the end. 'Where is he? Mother?'

But she was gone, and all Tara had of her father was a black pearl and diamond…

And here she was, only two months later.

'Miss! Miss Bell? Are you alright?' Tara blinked, the first officer was trying to get her attention. 'You'll need to go below Miss Bell,' he said, 'we're approaching the storm.'

Tara nodded simply and turned to the stairs that lead to the passengers staying rooms. Having one to herself due to the lack of passengers, she was able to spread out. There were three bunks, Tara collapsed on one and stared at the mattress of the one above.

The journey through the storm was a rough one. Tara, who was not accustomed to sailing, was violently ill, even through the following week. The ship's doctor visited several times and the steward brought her daily meals, but Tara had no desire for company.

When she felt better, she would stand at the railing looking down at the water as the children of the other passengers played on the deck behind her. As they neared their destination, the Captain warned everyone to be vigilant as pirates were common there. It is on third day that the events began to unfold.

'Hello, what's your name?'

Tara looked down at the little boy from her position above the figurehead. 'Tara Bell,' she muttered and looked back out at the horizon.

'Why do you dress like a boy?' asked the little boys even littler brother.

Tara snorted. 'Why do you?'

The boys looked at each other. 'Because we are boys!' said the younger one.

'Boys be careful!' called a woman from the main deck.

Tara gazed at the woman.

'That's our mother,' the older one informed.

Tara shifted uncomfortably, then jumped from her seat and headed back to her room. She collapsed on the bunk again, trying not to let the memories overwhelm her. It took almost an hour to regain composure, but she still stayed on the bed. Suddenly she heard a shout from above.

'All hands on deck, pirates off the port-bow!' Tara knew this meant all sailors above, all passengers below, but didn't care. She leapt from the bed and hurried out the door to the main deck. Sailors were running everywhere but there order had come too late. A magnificent black ship was moored alongside the _Cross_. Tara saw black sails and the figurehead; a woman holding a bird in one hand; briefly, before the pirates started boarding.

Grapples flew everywhere. Gangplanks fell onto the deck. Tara stood still, in a trance, in shock, then she felt someone grab her hands and pull them behind her, tying her up. She didn't struggle, nor did anyone else. She was shoved into a line with the other sailors and a minute later, the other passengers were brought up from below deck, bound and fearful

The pirates stood casually in front of them, seemingly awaiting something. It soon became apparent that this was a someone rather than something.

The Captain. Tara felt her blood run cold, even though the man did not look dangerous. His clothes were rather dirty, as was his hat, an old-looking tricorn. His eyes were lined with kohl. He was armed with a pistol and cutlass. His hair, which was controlled by a red bandana, was messy and braided in some parts, as was his beard. He sauntered leisurely down the gangplank, arms held up at his sides

He stopped before the line of captives and started taking the gold and jewellery, placing it into a leather bag.

'Capt'n?' said a plump, round-faced man, 'Will you be takin' it all, sir?'

The Captain shook his head. 'Just be good,' he said to the captives. He hesitated at the first officer.

'Just my wedding ring,' he said to the pirate, who raised an eyebrow and continued on without taking it. Tara's breath caught in her throat, the pendant wouldn't come off. Before he reached her, the pirate turned to his crew.

'Check below,' he instructed, he sounded slightly drunk but didn't seem it, 'take what you can find…and hurry up about it!' He stepped towards her, 'Let's see the valuables luv.'

Tara stared at the deck boards, avoiding the man's eye.

'Look up at me girlie,' he snapped, 'didn't your parents ever teach you anything?'

Tara didn't answer, but she looked up, meeting his eyes, which seemed strangely familiar. She was silent for a moment, then, 'I have nothing sir.'

The man frowned and eyed her suspiciously for a few seconds. He seemed to decide she was being honest then turned and strolled back to the front of the line to speak with a dark-skinned woman in whispers.

Tara's heart was pounding with fear. She turned her head to stare at the horizon, trying to calm herself, the silver chain around her neck glistened in the sun.

'That isn't nothing luv,' said the pirates voice behind her.

Tara turned back and froze. The man had drawn a dagger and was using it to lift the chain so he could see the pendant.

The dark-skinned woman came forward curiously. 'Such a pretty pendant…sure looks like nuthin',' she said sarcastically, 'Wouldn't you agree Captain?'

Jack didn't answer, he was staring at the pendant in surprise. It was so familiar. 'Where did you get that?' Déjà vu.

Tara gazed at the dagger near her neck fearfully. 'My mother.'

'Who?'

'Holly Swann.'

'Swann? You're a Swann?'

'Yes.'

Jack lowered the dagger, still staring at the girl in surprise. 'Call off the raid,' he instructed.

The dark-skinned woman frowned. 'Why?'

'Don't argue, call it off, leave everything.'

It took only a minute for the pirates to untie everyone. Tara stood still then moved a strand of hair from her face, noticing the pirate Captain was staring at her.

'Why are you letting us go?' she asked him softly.

He looked at her thoughtfully. 'Board the _Pearl_!' he yelled to his crew. He turned and walked back up the gangplank, back to his ship.

Tara waited until the last of the pirates had left the _Cross_, then hurried to the railing to watch the ship sail away. In the fading daylight, she saw its name, the _Black Pearl_…


	2. Prologue, Pt 2

**Disclaimer: The usual...**

The _Wisdom Cross_ docked at Kingston that evening. They had arrived ahead of schedule so Tara booked herself a room at the local Inn as the carriage would be picking her up the next morning. After an hour in the tiny room, she was extremely bored, she grabbed her money bag and walked downstairs to the bar. She sat down on one of the tall chairs.

'Can I help you, dear?' asked the barmaid.

'Rum please,' Tara requested simply.

The barmaid frowned slightly but brought a bottle and a mug.

'Leave the bottle,' Tara instructed, paying the charge. The barmaid and turned her attention to the other customers.

Tara pulled a flask from her bag and poured some of the rum into it for later, then put the flask back in her bag. She then took a swig from the bottle.

'I still don't understand why you said no to robbin' them, and yes to followin' them!'

'My reasons are my own, Mister Gibbs!' called Jack in reply, striding down the docks to the town of Kingston. He had told the crew to stay aboard the _Pearl_ while he was gone. He passed many merchants, most of whom ignored him, until he reached the Inn, hoping to stop for a drink before what would seem to be a long night.

He stepped into the building, but stopped short upon seeing a familiar young lady at the bar, leaning her forehead on the back of her hand which held a bottle that was more than half empty.

The tavern was crowded, but no one paid any attention to Jack, who edged towards the girl cautiously. She gave him no notice, even when he sat in the empty seat next to her, though she was in fact, looking the other way. The barmaid hurried up to them.

'What'll it be?' she asked Jack.

He glanced at the girl. 'I'll have whatever she's having,' he replied, placing some coins on the table.

The barmaid nodded. 'Rum it is then,' and hurried away.

Jack looked at the girl, who still hadn't looked up or acknowledged him in any way.

'Not surprised to see me then?' he asked.

'Saw you following,' Tara moved her hand away from her forehead and stared at the bottle, 'why were you following?'

The barmaid hurried past, placing another bottle on the table in front of Jack. He fiddled slightly with his hands and pulled it toward him.

'Drink often?' he quizzed, ignoring her last question.

Tara glanced up at him. 'Only when I'm really depressed.'

'Depressed?'

'What do you want?' she snapped rudely.

'Beg your pardon?'

'Well, it isn't often that pirate Captains come to me at a bar, asking for my life story.'

Jack dismissed the comment. 'When did Holly give you that pendant?'

Tara looked up at him, surprised that he remembered her mother's name. 'Why?'

'Where is she?'

Tara looked back at the bottle. 'She died, two months ago.'

'How?' asked Jack, trying not to sound shocked.

'Cancer,' muttered Tara, taking a swig from her bottle.

Jack's stomach plummeted, the rumours were true, but this girl… 'What's your name?'

'Tara Jacklyn Swann Bell,' she answered distractedly, gazing into her bottle. Jack stared at the pendant hanging from Tara's neck. He reached out and pulled the pearl forward. Tara noticed and, in instinct, she jerked back. The pendant's latch unlocked itself and the chain fell from her neck. The diamond glowed dully in Jack's hand. Tara stared at him.

'How did you do that?' she asked, looking at the jewel.

Jack was looking at it himself, but with a lot less shock, still unable to remember its origins. 'Do what?'

'Pull it off? There's only one person who can.'

He didn't look up. 'Oh, and who would that be?'

Tara was standing now. 'Jack Sparrow.'

Jack looked at her in surprise. 'Captain Jack Sparrow, and you're in luck, coz that'd be me, savvy?'

'What?' gasped Tara slowly, 'No, you can't be. If you're Jack Sparrow, then that would make you my…'

Jack frowned. 'That's CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow! An' that would make me your what?'

Tara felt dizzy, the room seemed to shrink, the voices of the other occupants muted. She felt a sudden rush of claustrophobia. Grabbing her bag, she hurried outside. It was raining. For a moment she stood still, breathing in the salty air. Then she started up the hill, past the settlement, blank on where she was going.

After several moments, she heard Jack following her.

'Oi! Wait! Wait, wait!' he called, 'Slow down!'

Tara slowed, fury pulsing through her veins. 'Stop following me, go away!'

Jack was slightly taken aback. 'Your what?' he called out over the rain and wailing wind.

Tara stopped and turned slowly, rain falling all around. 'My father…the only person who could open it was my father.'

Jack stared, sure he'd heard wrong. 'What?'

Tara just looked back at him in the same way. The rain poured, soaking her hair and clothes. She turned her head to the bay, running her fingers through her hair, trying to make some sense of what she'd just learnt. She watched the rain falling on the dark water at the base of the hill. Suddenly she saw it, her eyes went wide, her mind blank. 'The _Wanderer_!'

'Eh?' asked Jack, still absolutely clueless as she bolted past him, down the hill. He followed her, getting more and more confused. He sped up as she ran to the edge of the jetty and grabbed her arm to prevent her from running onto the water.

'What is wrong with you!' he cried in shock.

She was breathing heavily having just run at top speed. 'Don't you see it?'

'See what?'

'The ship, the white ship!'

Jack scanned the water. 'There's no white ship, luv. Are you sure you were drinking rum?'

Tara gazed at the ship. It was the purest white and seemed to float above the dark water. The name _Wanderer_ was written on the side, in the clearest red. She had last seen it on the night of her mother's death. The named burned in her memory. The ship called to her.

'It's right there!' she cried, gesturing at it frantically.

Jack frowned, thinking the girl wasn't right in the head.

Tara started away from him, following the ship's process as it sailed across the bay. Jack followed her, still disbelieving of her claims, the pendant in his hand was still glowing dully as he tried to remember where he'd seen it before.

Then it struck him. He _had_ seen it before. He had given it to Holly some 15 years back, just before he left Portsmouth. Tara was right; he was her father. Upon this realisation, he hesitated, staring at the pendant in his hand.

Tara, meanwhile, was still following the ship. She couldn't understand why something about it scared her, but she had to know. She hurried past an old carriage in front of several abandoned houses, the _Wanderer_ momentarily blocked from her sight. As she came out from behind the carriage, the ship was gone; there was no trace, no sign that it had ever been there.

Tara stared in dismay. She ran her hand through her hair again and stumbled back, leaning against the old building and sliding to a dry patch on the ground. She drew up her knees and sat still waiting for the rain to stop.

By the time it did, it was almost three in the morning. Tara started back to the Inn. As she passed the docks, she stopped short. The _Pearl_ was gone. The coward had run. She shook her head sadly and continued on. She'd briefly met her father, and he thought she was crazy. That would leave an impression.

She entered the Inn, there were very few people there, some of whom had fallen asleep where they sat. Tara paid no attention to any of them and started for the staircase, which lead to the staying rooms.

'Miss!' someone called from behind her.

Tara stopped on the third step and turned around. The barmaid hurried towards her, something clenched tightly in her hand.

'Miss, that gentleman that was here with you earlier-,' Tara flinched slightly, the barmaid raised an eyebrow but continued on, 'he left this with a full apology.' She raised her hand, the pendant dangled from it. Tara felt a wave of fury, but reached forward.

'Thankyou,' she muttered and hung it back around her neck. She turned back and hurried up the stairs.

**Better? I hope so...Review!**


	3. Arriving in Port Royal

**One Year Later**

BANG!

'Ouch!'

A now 16-year-old Tara threw herself behind a large crate on the main dock of La Romana on the island of Santo Domingo. She dodged another flying dagger flung by one of her assailants. There was a rather nasty cut on her right shoulder from one of them and a deep gash running the length of the same arm from the heavy swords the men carried.

She looked around desperately for an escape route, her eyes landed on several dozen crates and barrels on the loading dock. She pulled two large daggers from their holsters in her jacket, then stood and tossed them as hard as she could at the robed creatures. She didn't bother to see if they reached their targets, and lunged for one of the barrels, pulling her bag in and slamming the lid shut over her head. Thankfully this one was empty. She stayed still, unsure of how long, then she heard voices outside.

'This the last of them?'

'Yes, just load 'em on, probably won't be used anyway.'

'Righto.'

The barrel was suddenly pushed on its side. Tara bit her tongue hard to keep herself from crying out as she was rolled from the dock onto a…ship?

_Bugger, bugger, BUGGER! _Her mind screamed, the ship was sailing away.

It was a short journey, two, maybe three days. Tara stayed in the cargo hold, sneaking food and water whenever she could. When the ship finally docked, Tara got off immediately. It took her a while to realize, she was in Port Royal…

'Miss Swann, the replies to the invitations have arrived.'

Liz looked up from the decoration plans for the chapel, smiling.

'Thank you Lydia, all of them?' she asked.

'All but one Miss,' answered the maid, she left the sunroom.

Liz looked down at the envelopes Lydia had left on the table, picked them up and started filing through them. She hadn't bothered inviting her family in England as her mother and Aunt who had lived there already passed away, and her second Aunt, who lived in Jamaica, had too. But it was with a sinking feeling that she realized that her cousin, who she hadn't seen for many years, and who should now be in Jamaica, had not replied.

Before she'd had the chance to dwell, her fiancée walked through the door, looking slightly breathless.

Liz smiled. 'Is something wrong?'

He laughed. 'Not anymore,' he answered calmly, sitting on the sofa next to her.

'Ah, Miss Bell! How are you today?' the Innkeeper was too happy.

Tara had been on the island two days, and people were already remembering her name. This was not good.

'I'm very well, thankyou,' answered Tara, smiling sweetly, 'do you know where the Swann Mansion is?'

'The Swann Mansion?' said the Innkeeper slowly, 'It's on the hill above the settlement.'

Tara nodded in gratitude and stepped outside, into the brilliant sunshine. She looked up the hill on her left reluctantly, then at the docks on her right, longingly.

'A few minutes won't hurt…' she muttered thoughtfully, deciding to go to the right, the beach was her favourite place to think.

She strolled down the hill and onto the path that followed the sandy beach. It was low tide, almost noon, as Tara watched the waves roll onto the shore from beneath a palm in a tiny patch of grass off to the side of the path. She sat right on the edge of the grass, the heels of her black boots sinking into the sand.

When Tara had realised that she was in Port Royal, she was surprised to learn that the Governor was none other than her mother's older brother. Her uncle; Weatherby. She was even more surprised to learn that her cousin, Elizabeth, was to marry the town blacksmith at the end of the week.

Then again, she knew that being so disconnected from the world for a year, she was bound not to know some things. Upon arriving at her Aunts house in Jamaica, she was given the grim news that the woman had died some five years prior and the letter bearing the information to Holly had gone astray. It was not long after that, that Tara realised that the pendant she wore was an item of great interest to mortal and demonic bounty hunters. She spent a month in an orphanage, but realised that the pendant was too much of a danger for everyone there. She left on the next available ship to China, where she spent seven months in a confinement camp, being illegally trained the martial arts for her own self-defence. When she returned to the Caribbean, Clarice, who, before leaving for the future, gave her a large backpack full of clothes, first aids and other essentials, briefly housed her. This was perfect for keeping what she needed in one place when she travelled, which she tended to do often to escape and confuse the bounty hunters.

Suddenly the wound on her right arm seared with pain, she winced, but didn't worry. She'd stitched and bandaged it, now used to being her own doctor.

She stayed under the palm for several more minutes, then stood and started up the hill to her uncle's mansion.

'It looks wonderful Miss!'

Elizabeth spun around in front of the mirror in her wedding dress. This was the last fitting before the big day. It fit perfectly, but she just needed an excuse to put it on.

Lydia watched from behind her, then she glanced at the clock. 1:30. 'Miss, it's time for dinner, you must change.'

'One more minute,' said Liz, knowing she sounded like a child.

She changed reluctantly, but looked forward to dinner at the coffee shop in town.


	4. Meetings

Tara knocked on one of the double doors and looked up at the impressive house. The butler opened the door.

'Can I help you Miss?' he asked.

'Hopefully…I'm looking for the Swann's,' said Tara.

'The butler looked her up and down, disapprovingly. Why wouldn't he? Not many women wore red and black dresses with the black corset on the outside. Even fewer wore black stilettos and eyeliner.

'On what business?' he questioned her.

'Personal matters,' she answered, 'Sir? Are you going to stand there, or let me in?'

The butler frowned and moved aside.

'Wait here please,' he instructed, then hurried away into the depths of the house.

Tara looked around the foyer. _Not bad…_ she thought. Despite its colour, the large room seemed comfortable. She looked up at the clock in the far corner. It read 1:40. She jumped slightly as she heard footsteps from behind her and spun around.

Her cousin stopped at the bottom of the stairs, staring at her blankly.

'Good day…can I help you with anything?' Liz asked.

Tara squinted slightly, as if trying to see her better. 'Liz…?'

Liz looked back in the same way. Her eyes went wide. 'Tara?'

Tara grinned. 'Hello…'

Liz crossed the room in a stride. 'Tara it's been so long!' She pulled her into a hug. Tara gasped, Liz was cutting off her air supply.

'Liz, Liz!' she choked.

'What _is_ going on?'

Liz let go and turned to see Weatherby and the butler in the parlour doorway.

'It's Tara!' she said excitedly, gesturing at her cousin.

The Governor frowned, confused. 'Tara? Tara Bell? Goodness, you do look different.'

Tara massaged her neck. 'Is that a good thing?'

Liz laughed. 'Come, you must meet my fiancée, he's heard a lot about you.' She took Tara by the arm and started leading her out the door.

'Aren't you coming Uncle?' Tara asked over her shoulder.

The Governor followed them out the doors and into the stagecoach.

'Will! Come, sit, eat!'

Will eyed Liz cautiously, but kissed her on the cheek nonetheless, he shook hands with Weatherby and took his seat at the table, raising an eyebrow at Liz and looking pointedly at Tara.

'Tara Jacklyn Bell,' said Tara off his look, leaning over the table to shake Will's hand, 'born a Swann.'

Will smiled. 'Ah, the famed cousin.'

'Jacklyn? Holly named you Jacklyn! Said the Governor in surprise, 'Why on earth did she do that!'

'Many girls are given a feminine form of their father's name,' commented Will.

Weatherby suddenly looked interested. 'So you know who your father is then?'

Tara's mouth went dry, she hadn't spoken of her father in more than a year, not even when she'd found out who he was. 'Ahhh…No, no I don't…'

For the next two hours, she sat in silence listening to the others discussing the wedding and guests.

By the end of the "ordeal", she was exhausted and needed to redress her wounds. The Governor hurried off on business, promising Tara he'd see her the next day, and if not, at the wedding. Liz and Will walked her to the Inn.

'Which room are you staying in?' asked Liz.

'13A…I think…' answered Tara.

'Are you sure you are really that tired?' Liz said, 'I would love to show you around Port Royal.'

Tara smiled. 'Thankyou, but I really should rest, unless of course you want a zombie at your wedding. I could pull that off quite nicely.'

Will laughed. 'Are you absolutely sure we've never met? There is something incredibly familiar about you.'

Tara shook her head. 'This is my first time in Port Royal.'

'Hmmm…must be something else then,' Will murmured thoughtfully.

With farewells said and the-soon-to-be Mr. And Mrs Turner heading off up the hill, Tara hurried back to her room to check her wounds. They were slightly better today, not bleeding as much, but still hurting like hell. She changed the bandages then put on her sleeping clothes. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

'Tara! Wake up, please!'

Elizabeth's voice pierced Tara's sleep, forcing her awake.

'Tara, please, please, wake up!' she sounded excited.

Tara stumbled from her, pulled on her robe and crossed the tiny room glancing at the clock above the dresser. 4:15am.

'Elizabeth,' she said opening the door, 'it's four in the morning, the sun hasn't risen yet.'

Liz was smiling and was very clearly ecstatic about something. 'Oh, please you must come,' she started quickly, 'our friend is arriving, and I would love for you to meet him.'

Tara rested her head on the doorframe.

'Alright, I'll meet you outside, let me get dressed.'

Liz hurried away and Tara closed the door. She threw on a blue and yellow dress, brushed her hair and applied the essentials, eyeliner and shadow. Then exited the building.

Liz and Will were waiting outside. It was surprisingly dark; the sun was beginning to rise.

'Sorry to wake you,' apologised Will, 'but we thought you'd like to meet him, he has his own ship, that's why it's so early.'

'That's alright,' yawned Tara, 'happens all the time…well no, it doesn't, but I don't blame you.'

Liz grabbed Tara's left arm and started half-dragging her down the hill. Tara glanced at Will and they both hid their laughter. It was only when they were halfway to their destination, when Tara saw it. Anchored at the end of the longest dock was the ship she hated most, the _Black Pearl_…

She gaped and stumbled. 'Is that the _Black_ _Pearl_?'

Will nodded. 'Our friend is the Captain. Jack Sparrow.'

Tara felt a wave of fury mixed with shock. This was not going to be good. As they reached the dock, she could see the dark silhouettes of the crew moving about the ship. She could see the Captain on the dock. He was coming towards them.

Liz let out an excited squeal, let go of Tara's arm and ran towards him, enveloping him in the same bone-breaking hug as she had Tara. Will walked up to the pirate a lot more calmly, embracing him like a brother.

'Ow, luv,' Jack said, 'ease up on the hugs, will you?'

Will and Liz laughed.

'Oh, Jack, I'd like you to meet someone,' said Liz suddenly, pulling Tara forward, 'this is my cousin.'

Tara looked off to one side determinedly, avoiding his eye.

'You seem somewhat familiar, have we met?' he asked her, 'Look up at me girlie, didn't your parents teach you anything?'

Tara's eyes went wide she looked at Jack furiously.

Jack's mouth fell open in shock. 'Tara!'

WHAM!

Tara punched him hard in the nose. He stumbled back, surprised. She took advantage of his stupor by shoving him down by the shoulders and kneeing him in the stomach.

She pushed past Will and Liz and stalked back up the hill to her room at the Inn.

There, she closed the door and leaned against it, crumbling to the floor.

xXx

'Where'd she learn to punch like that?' groaned Jack, collapsing on a chair in the Captains Quarters of his ship, holding his nose in pain.

'I'm not sure, she has only been here three days,' replied Liz curiously, 'why did she hit you?'

'It's a long story, luv,' answered Jack.

Will sat in a chair across from him. 'We have all day.'

xXx

It was almost five in the evening when Tara started moving at a more rapid pace than she had all day, which she had spent at the Inn, gazing at the _Pearl_ from the windows. It was a topic of much discussion at the Inn and, by five, Tara was back in her room packing, sick to death of hearing about her father's infamy.

She shoved her washed, black and red dress into the large backpack, then jumped as a knocking started at her door.

'Tara, we know you're in there, please open the door!' came her cousin's voice.

Tara straightened up and rolled her eyes. She strode to the door and pulled it open. Liz, Will and Jack stood in the corridor.

Her eyes narrowed at Jack. 'Back for more? I'm feeling charitable.'

'Don't speak to your father like that!' snapped Liz.

Tara snorted and started laughing. She laughed sarcastically and slammed the door in their faces. The knocking started up again.

'Open the door!' repeated Liz.

'Please?' requested Will, 'She's about to break it down!'

Tara opened the door again. 'What!' she snapped.

'Why didn't you tell us?' asked Will.

'Would you believe me if I told you I forgot?' she questioned moving her head from side to side in annoyance.

Liz pushed past her, entering the room, Tara turned, anger boiling in her veins. Liz's eyes fell on the half-packed bag.

'Where are you going?' she asked, turning to Tara, who was leaning casually on the wall next to the door.

'Away,' she replied, ignoring both men.

'Away where?' said Liz.

'Dunno, China, Turkey, Korea, or maybe a place I _haven't_ been.'

Jack raised an eyebrow, surprised to hear she been to any of those places.

'You're running?' said Will in realisation.

'Well, it runs in the family doesn't it?' Tara spat.

Jack frowned angrily but Will raised his hand in warning. Tara suddenly noticed her old bandages lying undisposed on her dresser. She made toward it casually, trying not to draw attention.

'But the wedding is tomorrow,' said Liz softly, 'you can't leave.'

Tara hid the bandages behind the washbasin and leaned on the dresser silently. Liz motioned for the men to leave, which Jack seemed only too happy to do.

As the door closed, Liz turned to Tara. 'Sparrow.'

Tara looked at her cousin. 'What?'

'Sparrow, you said "born a Swann". It's not Swann, it's Sparrow.'

Tara looked disgusted. 'Jacklyn…'

Liz laughed. 'You cannot leave, please, you are the only cousin I invited to the wedding. I am not asking you to play happy families, just bear witness.'

Tara fell onto the side of the bed. 'Fine, but do not expect me to be nice to him.'


	5. And finally wedding

'Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, Mr and Mrs Turner.'

The wedding music started up. Tara, who was sitting in the front row applauded, along with the other guests. She wore a blue and magenta dress, blue being her favourite colour and all.

As the guests left the chapel, Tara noticed Jack watching her from the corner of her eye. She ignored him and hurried back to the inn to change for the reception.

At the mansion, she lurked near the doors to the garden, watching as the company mingled. Unfortunately for her, Liz, Will and Jack stayed together for most of the night.

By five in the evening, Tara was exhausted and bored, she moved into the crowd in an attempt to wake herself up. She hurried past several people, trying to get to the fireplace across the room, when she suddenly bumped into someone.

'Oh no, not you,' she muttered upon realising who it was.

Jack looked down at her in a bored manner. 'Hello to you too, luv.'

'Don't you take that happy tone with me,' she snapped in reply. She turned and started back to her spot at the doors leading to the garden.

Jack followed. 'Well perhaps if you stopped pretending life's dealt you alone such a raw deal…'

'Pretending!' Tara spun around, 'Pretending! Who's pretending? And I know I'm not alone, I just hope others don't go through the same thing!'

' "The same thing"? I saw you at the orphanage, you weren't going through anything.'

Tara stared at him. 'What?'

Jack looked startled. 'Oh…'

'You came back!'

'Just to check on you.'

What…why…when, did you come back!'

Only a week after…' he trailed off.

Tara's mouth had fallen open at this. 'You evil bastard…'

Jack rolled his eyes. 'Stop being such a drama queen.'

'Jackass!'

'Wench!'

'Worm!'

'Brat!'

'ENOUGH!'

The room had gone quiet. The guests were staring at Jack and Tara, who were looking at Will and Liz, that were glaring at them angrily.

'Into the study,' ordered Liz.

'Both of you, now,' added Will, 'wait for us there.'

Jack and Tara glanced at each other briefly before heading for the door on the other side of the room.

'Ladies first,' muttered Tara, just so Jack could hear her. He followed her in and closed the door.

'Well, I hope you're happy,' said Jack, 'you may have well ruined Will's and Elizabeth's wedding reception.'

Tara turned from the fireplace, glaring at him as he stood before her at the mantle.

'I ruined? _I_ ruined!' started Tara, aghast, 'You're the one who started the high and mighty act!'

'What high and mighty act!'

'The one where whatever you say goes! You abandoned me for my whole life, now you have no right to tell me what to do!'

'I'm your father!'

Tara gaped at him, momentarily speechless. 'Oh, so _now_ you're my father? Were you my father when I was born? Or when mother married Bell? Or when she died? No, you weren't! Why now! Not before, but now!'

They went quiet as the door opened and Will and Liz entered the room.

'For heavens sake, you two!' said Liz, 'We did not ask you to get along, just keep it down!'

Will sighed and fell into a green, winged armchair. 'Are you getting along any better now?'

Tara folded her arms. 'Why don't you ask cur here!'

Jack frowned. 'Stop whining, shorty.'

He had hit a nerve. Tara grabbed an iron fire poker and raised it into the air. Will jumped up and pulled Jack back. Liz hurried behind her cousin and grabbed her right arm, the one holding the fire poker. Tara cried out and dropped the iron rod, yanking her arm from Elizabeth's grasp, in pain. Tears welled in her eyes, the stitches had torn, the pain was excruciating. She moved away from the light of the fire, leaving the adults dumbfounded.

'Tara?' started Will, 'What's-,'

'Oh my…' whispered Liz. The hand she'd used to hold Tara back was covered in bright blood, 'Tara what happened?'

With her back to them, Tara rolled up the sleeve of her shirt. The bandage was soaked with blood, which was beginning to seep through. She gasped, slightly nauseous and dizzy.

The adults stepped up behind her; Liz took her hand and stretched out her arm, surprised at seeing the bandage.

'How long has that been there?' Jack asked.

Tara suddenly became aware that part of her secret was out. Pulled her arm in. Liz, Will and Jack stared at her, stunned.

'Congratulations,' whispered Tara, avoiding their eyes, 'enjoy your party.' She pushed past them and hurried out of the house. Outside, Tara hesitated to catch her breath. Worried she might be followed; she started to the beach via the tropical rainforest. As she arrived, she pulled off the bandage and rinsed it and the wound with seawater. The wound was no longer as deep as it had been but still hurt a lot. Several stitches had fallen out and it was bleeding badly. She returned to her room, restitched and redressed the wound.

It was only 6:30 in the evening, so Tara stayed in her room, watching the sun sink below the horizon and the ships that lay anchored in the harbour. Then she noticed something. She hurried to her bag and pulled out her silver spyglass. Through it, she could see her father, sitting alone on the beach, staring out at the ocean in the fading light. It was at that moment that Tara realised that this man was perhaps not as cold-hearted as she'd first thought.

She watched him until he and the harbour were swallowed by the dark, cloudless night


	6. The Good Doctor

Tara was woken, about eight the next morning by the sound of a gentle knocking on her door. She rolled her eyes and climbed out of bed.

'That better not be Elizabeth,' she muttered, pulling on her robe. She opened the door, and found herself standing face to face with an elderly stranger.

'Tara Bell?' he asked.

'Yes…' answered Tara, cautiously.

'Doctor Phillip Reynolds,' said the man, showing her a doctor's bag, 'I've been informed that you have a rather nasty wound.'

Tara frowned. 'Informed by whom?'

The Doctor turned and pointed down the corridor. 'That gentleman,' he answered. Jack was leaning casually on the banister of the staircase, examining his gun.

Tara gazed at him in confusion. She looked up at the doctor. 'Could you excuse me a moment?'

'Of course, mind if I wait inside?'

Tara shook her head and started toward Jack, pulling her robe around her tightly. 'What were you thinking?' she asked him.

'Wanted Will and Liz to enjoy their wedding night,' he replied, not looking up, 'told them I'd get you a doctor by morning, and guess what? It's morning.'

Tara gaped at him. 'But…it…you…'

He put his gun away, took her by both shoulders and led her back to her room, entering it and closing the door. He led her to the bed where she sat down, still staring at her father in shock.

'Arm,' muttered the Doctor, bringing her to her senses. She pulled up her right sleeve and held out her arm. Reynolds removed the bandages and started examining the wound.

'Very clean,' he commented, 'who stitched it?'

Tara raised her left hand. 'Guilty.'

The Doctor nodded his head. 'Well done, very well done.' He dabbed the wound with a hot bud. Tara winced and flinched.

'Don't move,' he warned, 'don't look.'

Tara looked away, noticing her father standing by the door, looking out the window. She felt another wave of pain and closed her eyes, bringing her chin to her chest.

'All clear,' said Reynolds, 'anything else?'

Tara shook her head. 'No,' she lied.

'Who did this?'

'It was an accident.'

'This was no accident, but it wasn't self-inflicted, so I'll ask you again, who did this?'

Tara didn't answer.

The Doctor redressed her arm, and pulled some papers from his bag. 'Your parents will need to sign these.'

She stared at the papers, opening her mouth to say she didn't have any.

'Here,' muttered Jack.

Reynolds eyed him suspiciously but gave him the papers.

'Good day Miss, Sir,' the Doctor nodded and left, taking the papers with him.

Jack closed the door behind Reynolds. 'Not an accident, not self-inflicted, so what happened?'

Tara ignored him and fixed the bed.

'You'll have to tell me sooner or later,' he said from his position by the door.

She went behind the clothes screen and started to change. 'Well I'd prefer later rather than sooner.'

'Come on, luv. Who's after you?'

Tara was silent for a moment, then, 'Bounty hunters.'

Jack raised an eyebrow. 'Why?'

She hesitated again. 'The pendant.'

'The one you got from Holly?'

She poked her head around the side of the screen. 'Yes.'

'Why're bounty hunters after it?'

'Dunno,' she muttered.

'Well, why didn't you tell anyone?'

She came out from behind the screen, now dressed.

'Because,' she started, 'I can handle it.'

She started for the dresser but Jack grabbed her by the elbow, just beneath the bandage. 'Doesn't look to me like you can "handle it",' he muttered, 'Will and Liz said to pack your bags. You're moving to the Swann Mansion


	7. Back to the Mansion

'I cannot believe, I let you talk me into this,' grumbled Tara.

'What've you got in this bag, luv?' asked Jack stumped.

'You don't want to know…'

'So you keep saying.'

Tara knocked on the oak doors, surprised to see it was Liz who opened them. Will stood behind her looking concerned.

'Oh, thank heavens,' he said clearly, 'you haven't killed each other.'

Tara frowned and looked back at Jack. 'Took all my self control, believe me.'

He raised his eyebrows and followed her into the mansion.

'You saw the doctor then?' asked Liz, closing the door.

'Yes,' replied Tara.

'Tara, finish this sentence,' started Will, 'When he saw me, the doctor said…'

'…That I was absolutely, positively, without a doubt, in no immediate danger of a very painful and untimely death.'

'Actually,' corrected Jack, ' he commented her on her stitching and asked who could have possibly inflicted such a horrible wound. Savvy?'

Tara glared at him.

'Inflicted? Who inflicted?' asked Liz, her voice rising.

Tara took her and Will by the shoulders and started leading them to the parlour on the right side of the room.

'Now, now, not to worry. I'll take care of it,' she said grinning, 'let me not rain on the parade of your first day of wedded bliss.'

'Are you sure you can face this on your own?' questioned Liz, turning to face her cousin.

Tara took the two door handles. 'Have I ever given you reason not to trust me?' She pulled the doors shut in their faces. She turned to Jack, her hands behind her back, still holding the handles.

'Here's the plan,' she started, striding to her father who was eyeing her suspiciously, 'you stay here and watch "the lovebirds" and I will-,'

'Put as much space as possible between yourself and this house?'

'Now you are catching on.'

She walked past him to the door.

'Where'd you plan on going?' Jack asked as she pulled open the door.

'Anywhere…everywhere…' she answered waving her hand in the air carelessly, 'far away, preferably…'

xXx

An hour later, Tara had found her way to the beach. She sat in the sand about 200metres from where the _Black Pearl_ was docked, but still completely oblivious to the fact that it was even there. She at gazed at the blue, ocean waves, as they washed up on shore, thinking. The thought of leaving for god-only-knows-where nudged impatiently at the back of her mind, and Jack's ever-constant mood swings were giving her a headache. She started absently fiddling with her pendant.

Suddenly, a shiver ran down her spine and she had the uncomfortable feeling she was being watched, she looked around and came to the conclusion of paranoia. As she looked back over the water, her breath caught in her throat. In the open ocean, between the tall cliffs of the bay, she could see a familiar, white ship. She struggled to her feet, staring at it with a mixture of horror and shock.

xXx

'Mr. Gibbs, where is the mainsail?'

'Under repair, Capt'n,' Gibbs said, looking up at Jack, 'Should be finished when we leave tomorrow.'

Jack said nothing; instead, he turned and strode to the helm, bored. He looked up at the shore, studying the settlement, then noticed a figure sitting on the beach. Jack frowned, recognising Tara's form and started off the ship.

'Capt'n!' Jack stopped upon hearing Gibbs' voice, 'Somethin' wrong?'

'How long has she been sitting there?' Jack asked.

Gibbs glanced at the girl. 'Ten minutes, or so…'

Jack rolled his eyes impatiently and continued off the ship and dock. She stood as he neared her, but did not look at him. She was staring at the gap between the cliffs.

'Far as you could run then?' he asked her.

She jumped and looked at him in alarm, then immediately looked back at the horizon. Her face fell.

'Damn…' she muttered.

Jack frowned. She glanced up at him.

'I know, don't ask,' he said for her, raising his hands in defeat, 'or are you seeing white ships again?'

Her eye narrowed slightly.

Jack recognised the look. 'Ah, so you have then, I see…well, how much have you had to drink today?'

A look of anger flashed through her eyes, the diamond around her neck glowed a dangerous red. 'Don't, don't risk it.'

'You're seeing invisible, white ships, luv. Somehow I don't think I'm the one risking anything.'

'Just because you cannot see it, doesn't mean it's not there,' she replied, struggling to keep her voice at a calm level.

'Then what does it mean?'

Tara's heart pounded in her ears, but she realised she couldn't answer his question. 'I don't know.'

Jack nodded smartly. 'Well, don't go screaming at me luv, unless you plan to prove a point.'

Tara stared determinedly at the sand around her boots.

'You're to stay in Port Royal.'

She looked up at him in surprise. 'Excuse me!'

'You're staying here.'

'No, I'm not. The bounty hunters will be here soon.'

'And they're after your pendant?'

'Yes.'

Jack took a step forward and pulled the chain from around her neck. Her hand went up instinctively, her eyes wide in shock.

'Hey!' she cried.

Jack pocketed it. 'Problem solved.' He turned and started back to the _Pearl_. She chased him up the beach.

'Give it back!' she cried, moving ahead of him, blocking his way.

'Did you perhaps consider that the pendant is what's making you see your white ship?' he asked, bending slightly to look her in the eye.

She glared back at him. 'That pendant is the only link I have to-,' she stopped '…just give me back the pendant.'

'HA!' laughed Jack, not unlike the way he did on the island with Elizabeth, and held the chain in the air, 'I'm the original owner.'

'But you gave it to Holly,' Tara retorted, refusing to give in, 'it was a gift, who takes back a gift!'

Jack shook his head in disbelief and stepped around Tara, walking up the gangplank of his ship. 'A pirate!' he answered back to her. His crew watched with interest as the girl trailed after him.

'That is not an excuse!' she yelled, now following him to the Helm, 'and don't you think for one second that I am going to give it up without a fight!'

'You want a fight?' Jack turned and drew his sword, holding it dangerously close to her throat. She took a step back, staring at the blade, then, in a split second, she spun around and kicked it from his hand, returning to a fighting stance, arms raised skilfully.

'Please,' she said in a bored tone, 'seven months in a Chinese confinement camp was bound to teach me something.'

Jack looked at the cutlass on the deck, not altogether surprised, not until she lunged at him that is. Tara felt someone grab her around the waist.

'I had a feeling you'd try to kill him sooner or later,' said Will. Tara struggled angrily, trying to break free, but to her disappointment, he was quickly joined by several other crewmembers that helped to hold her still.

Jack raised the cutlass again, placing the blade beneath her chin. 'Listen very carefully to what I'm about to say-,'

'Hey, I don't give a damn about anything you've got to say!' Tara screamed, struggling against Will and Gibbs, who were holding her arms, 'Just give it back!'

Will looked slightly alarmed. 'Give what back?'

'The pirate stole my pendant!' Tara answered not struggling.

'It was mine to begin with!' said Jack, tightening his hold on the cutlass.

Tara stared at him for a moment, then lunged again. 'Oh, that is rich!'

Jack hastily moved the cutlass away to save her from impaling herself on it.

Gibbs stared down at Tara clueless. 'Who are you again?'

She looked up at him, then at Jack furiously. She yanked her arms away and stowed off the ship. 'You're going to regret that,' she muttered in undertone as she left.

Jack watched her for a moment then looked at Will. 'What're you doing here?'

'Saving you from Tara apparently,' said Will simply, 'Elizabeth feared she would not see you in one piece again. Why did you take her pendant.'

Suddenly Gibbs spoke up. 'Why wouldn't 'e be in one piece? Who's the girl?'

'Back to your wife boy,' Jack said to Will, 'or you'll have hell to pay.'

Will stared at him. 'Well at least my wife doesn't threaten to kill me now does she?' He nodded a goodbye and left.

Jack made an indiscrete sound in his throat and hurried into the Captains Quarters.


	8. Instinct

Tara stalked up the hill, fuming. She was surprised at Jack's bid to keep her from harm, but suspected there had been a reason for it that did not involve her safety. She stomped into her Uncle's mansion and slammed the door. Liz hurried into the room.

'What are you doing?' she cried.

Tara glared at her as Lydia came running into the room.

'Commencing with my plan to diminish the pirate population, obviously!' she snapped.

'I take it things did not go so well with your father…'

Tara growled furiously and looked at the maid. 'Where's my room!'

Lydia led her upstairs as Will walked swiftly through the doors.

'Where is Tara?' he asked, exasperated.

'Upstairs,' answered Liz, stepping towards her husband, 'What happened?'

They seated themselves in the chairs near the window and Will explained what happened.

'He used his cutlass!' gasped Liz in shock, when he had finished.

'Yes, but it didn't work,' said Will, 'she was very determined to get that pendant back.'

'He still used his cutlass,' Liz murmured thoughtfully. She looked up at Will, 'I think it's time Jack had a father to father talk.'

xXx

The Governor strolled up the gangplank, onto the _Pearl_, amid suspicious looks from the crewmembers. He strode to the Captains Quarters doors, knocked three times and placed his hands behind his back as a gentleman would.

'Come in,' came the voice from inside.

Weatherby opened the door and entered the dark room. Jack looked up from a map of the Caribbean, eyebrow raised.

'Something I can do for you, Governor?' he asked.

The older man closed the door slowly. 'I've come per Elizabeth's request.'

Jack rolled his eyes. 'She wan' you to burn the rest of my rum?'

Weatherby chuckled. 'Actually, she wanted me to convince you to talk to Tara.'

Jack looked back down at the map. 'Good luck to you then.'

The Governor sat in the chair across the table. 'Instead I thought we could talk…off the record…as they say.' Upon getting no reaction, he continued, 'You realise, you can no longer think only of yourself, you must guide her now too.'

Jack looked up at him in surprise, clearly not expecting such an abrupt comment. 'Beg your pardon?'

'Tara,' explained Weatherby. Jack peered at him, the Governor carried on, 'I never planned on having children either, then…Elizabeth was born, and…I thought of nothing…no one, else.'

Jack rolled his eyes again and made his way to the cabinet by the window to collect more paperweights. Swann followed several paces behind him.

'I saw it, I'd have given anything to keep her safe, I still would…' he trailed off, noticing a lingering pause in Jack's actions, 'You see it too, don't you?'

Jack didn't answer, instead shifting a pile of parchment and rolls. His silence seemed to be answer enough for the older Governor. He turned and started for the door, but before opening it, he looked back at Jack, who was staring determinedly out the window.

'Paternal instinct will take effect…' then, before walking out the door, he added, 'unless it already has.'


	9. Kidnappings

Dinner that night was an awkward affair, Tara constantly felt the eyes of her Uncle and cousin upon her. Will seemed to be the only one who realised she needed space, and time. She decided to skip desert, and headed up the stairs to her bedroom.

'Tara!' She stopped on the eighth step and turned to face her cousin, who'd followed her to the foyer.

'Yes?' asked Tara, coldly.

Liz's face flushed. 'Nothing … I mean … goodnight.'

Tara turned and continued up the stairs. She opened the door to her room, and was surprised to see the candles had blown out. Then she spotted the problem.

'Who leaves the windows open?' she muttered to herself. She crossed the room and moved the curtains out of the way, intent on closing the window. But she stopped short. Clearly visible, anchored in the harbour was the _Wanderer_. The gleaming, white ship was floating right beside the _Black Pearl_.

_There is no, _possible _way that Jack will not notice it now_ thought Tara, triumphantly. Suddenly, a shiver ran down her spine and she felt the presence of another in the room. She took a step back in fear and someone grabbed her from behind. A gag was placed in her mouth and her hands were pulled behind her back and tied with a rough, thick rope. Before she knew it she was being dragged through the window and to the ground, where she finally got a good look at her captors. Six sturdy men, three of who were holding her tightly, furthermore, she recognised the other three. She let out a muffled cry of shock; they'd been at the wedding, and at the coffeehouse, and the docks when she and Jack were arguing.

'Now calm down, Missy,' said a tall, dark-haired one, 'stay quiet an' we won't hurt ye.'

She stared at him momentarily, wondering if he was serious, then leaned back on those that were holding her and kicked dark-hair in the gut. He started to cry out, but a bald guy clapped his hand over his mouth. The third guy looked a lot more serious. He stepped toward Tara and drew his gun, holding it to her forehead.

'Stay quiet!' he rasped. Tara dug her fingernails into one of her holder's arms. He jumped back, waving it in the air, trying not to whinge.

The serious guy's look changed from anger to fury; he pulled a dagger from his pocket and cut her across the shoulder in warning. He then nodded to the others and they continued dragging Tara down the hill. Towards the _Wanderer …_

xXx

'Good evening, Miss Bell.'

Tara was pushed in front of the Captain. The woman was smiling victoriously, looking at Tara as though she was some sort of trophy. Tara snuck a sideways glance at her father's ship. It was silent, it seemed that there was no one aboard. _Probably enjoying Happy Hour at the Inn_ explained a voice in her mind. She felt a horrible sinking feeling and looked back at the woman. She had straight, long, black hair, which she had messily tied up in a ponytail. She wore heavy, green eye shadow, but her eyes were like steel. Empty. She stepped toward Tara and gently placed her hand beneath her chin, tilting her face up.

'Now, Tara,' she began, 'we don't want to hurt you, in fact, we're more than willing to let you go, but there's one thing that you must do. Give us your pendant, even you have to agree that's a simple request.'

The gag was removed from Tara's mouth. 'I don't have it,' she said slowly.

The woman's face flashed with anger slightly, but she quickly regained composure. 'Then who does?'

Tara said nothing, looking the woman in the eye defiantly.

'Who does!' she repeated, angrily this time.

Again, Tara remained silent. The older woman lost patience and slapped her across the face. Tara gasped slightly, but kept her expression impassive, staring down at the deck-boards.

'Who does?' the woman said again, now to her crew.

'I think I know … ' muttered the bald guy, looking pointedly toward the _Pearl_.

Tara's heart stopped. Her face stung but she didn't care. They couldn't find that pendant. She started to protest but the gag was replaced in her mouth and she was dragged forward, into the depths of the white ship.

xXx

Jack blinked. He had fallen asleep at the table in the Captains Quarters. He sat up straight in his chair and yawned. The room was dark. The sun had set. He was surprised to see one of the windows was open and that all of the candles had blown out. Some of the maps that had earlier littered the table had been blown to the floor. He stood and started forward to close the window, but stopped. A floorboard creaked behind him. He stood still, pondering what to do next. But he never got the chance to do anything. Once again, he was hit hard on the back of the head, and once again, he passed out.


	10. so the Journey Begins

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN any of the following: Hoobastank, Three Doors Down, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, the Cadbury Company, or, in fact, Disneyland**… **however hard I wish I did so …**

_**This World can turn me down  
But I won't turn away  
And I won't duck and run  
Coz I'm not built that way  
When everything is gone  
There's nothing there to fear  
This world cannot bring me down  
No, coz I am already here…**_

'Jack?'

He winced but kept his eyes closed. 'What 'appened …?'

'I told you not to take the pendant.'

Jack opened his eyes then, suddenly aware who he was talking to. He sat bolt upright, staring at her.

'You knocked me unconscious!' he asked in shock.

Tara laughed sarcastically. 'Yes Jack, then I locked us in this cell just for fun.'

He looked around. They were in the largest cell of a ship's brig. The room around them was the darkest red on colour. He struggled to his feet, rubbing his head painfully. Tara stood calmly behind him. They were in the very bow of the ship. On either side of the door leading from their cell were two other, smaller cells. Beyond them were crates and barrels and the staircase that lead to the upper decks. Jack turned to Tara cautiously.

'Where are we?' he asked.

Tara's eyes narrowed, her expression went cold. 'Welcome to the _Wanderer_.'

Jack stared at her in astonishment and turned again to survey the room. 'This, is the _Wanderer_?'

Tara nodded and leaned back against the wood, arms crossed over her chest.

'Your invisible ship?'

'Well now it's not so invisible.'

'The white one?'

'Red inside isn't it?'

Jack stared at her in confusion. 'But why are we locked up?'

'Because the Captain is the very person who holds the bounty over the pendant that's in your pocket.'

Jack moved his hand to his right pocket and withdrew the silver chain. Tara looked at it longingly but didn't reach out. She stayed still at the wall.

'Put that away, before somebody sees,' she muttered. He put it back in his pocket and glanced back up the stairs. He then noticed the cut on her shoulder.

'Not again, 'ow did that 'appen?'

She glanced at the shoulder and shrugged carelessly.

'Who did that t' you?'

'Who cares? Now sit down before you pass out again.'

Jack eyed her suspiciously, taken aback at her request, but nonetheless, he sat on the floor leaning the same wall as she was. After several minutes, she slid down next to him.

* * *

'Something's happened.'

Liz looked at Gibbs curiously. He and Anna-Maria had arrived at the Mansion door, clearly concerned. They, Liz, Will and even the Governor, were in the foyer.

'Jack's gone,' finished Anna-Maria.

'Where?' asked Will.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. 'Well if we knew that we wouldn't be here, would we?'

Liz shook her head in confusion. 'Why? You were supposed to be leaving today? Why would he go?'

The Governor spoke up very suddenly. 'We should tell Tara.'

The others looked at him in surprise.

'I'll do it,' said Liz. She started up the stairs.

'Who's Tara?' asked Gibbs blankly.

Will looked at him, fully aware that none of Jack's crew knew he had a daughter. He thought it was time for them to find out. He glanced at Weatherby before starting. 'Ah, Tara is Jack's … she's well … '

'She is his daughter,' Swann finished.

Both Gibbs and Anna-Maria stared at them in shock. They're mouths falling open simultaneously.

'What?' questioned Gibbs.

'H-how?' stammered Anna-Maria.

'She's gone!'

The group turned to see Liz hurrying down the stairs, looking alarmed.

'Her things are still there, the bed hasn't been slept in, and the window is open.'

Will looked back at the others. 'It looks like our Sparrow's have flown away.'

_**I won't duck and run  
I won't duck and run  
I won't duck and run  
No, don't pass away…**_


	11. Captain Cross

**Disclaimer: disclaimer, disclaimer, dis-freakin'-claimer! Enough already!**

**Umm, I can't remember what I was gonna say, sorry for not updating? No that's not it…let's just hope I don't forget the storyline, that would be depressing…**

'How much are you willing to bet that it's morning.'

Jack glanced at Tara. 'Probably right on that note … '

She sighed. 'Well, on the bright side, at least I'm not going crazy and making up imaginary friends like I would if I were alone.'

Jack grinned. Then he had a thought and his grin faded. 'Why're they after it?'

Tara peered at him.

'C'mon, luv, you 'ave t' know somethin'.'

Tara gave in. 'I don't know how to use it. It's a map of some kind.'

'A map? To what?'

'I don't know, I told you. I don't know how to use it.'

They stopped speaking upon hearing footsteps coming down the stairs. Two of the brutes that had kidnapped Tara opened the door and entered the cell. She and Jack rose in unison.

'The Captain wants a word with you two,' said the taller one.

The shorty tied their hands behind their backs in turn, neither struggled, even if they did break free, where would they go?

As they were led up to the Captains Quarters, Tara noticed a similarity in décor. Every room in the ship was red, then, when they had reached the top deck, the ship became marvellously white. A pirate flag now hung proudly at the top of the Main Mast. The brutes lead them through two doors, into a brightly lit room. The Captain was looking out the window, waiting patiently.

'Now, now, where are your manners, untie them immediately,' she ordered to the other pirates, who, more in fear than in command, did so. Tara rubbed her wrists, not at all accustomed to being tied up.

'Leave us,' the Captain said, the two left in silence. The woman turned, a sugary smile plastered on her face. 'Jack, good to see you again.'

'Cross?' he said aloud in surprise.

Tara stared at her father in shock. 'You know her!'

The older woman laughed. 'Captain Cross, and of course he does! Haven't you told her Jack … or didn't you know?'

'Know what?' Jack asked cautiously.

Cross raised her arms gesturing around the room. 'That I have a ship that'll even match the _Pearl_.'

Jack looked around. 'You think so?'

Cross's look hardened. 'Yes, especially if you couldn't see my ship, even when you were staring directly at it. While all along, unfortunate, dismal, little Tara _could_ see it, and _tried_ to tell you it was there. How does it feel to be wrong for once Jack?'

Jack glanced at Tara, who was glaring at Cross, he looked back at her himself. ' 'ow'd you do it?'

'Little magic trick,' sneered Cross, 'Though apparently there was a glitch, no one was supposed to be able to see it. Now, on to other matters, the pendant.'

Jack raised an eyebrow. 'What pendant?'

Cross stepped toward him. 'The one in your pocket.'

Jack continued to watch her blankly for several seconds. Suddenly, she lost patience and grabbed Tara, pulling her forward and cocking a gun to her head.

'Give me an excuse Jack,' she hissed. Tara looked up at Jack, shaking her head very slightly, clearly telling him to continue his denial of knowledge. To his own confusion, he realised he couldn't and withdrew the pendant on the silver chain. Cross grabbed it from his hand and pushed Tara forward. She regained her footing almost immediately and started to the woman to retrieve the jewel, but Jack pulled her back, holding her right elbow firmly.

'Why did you give it to her?' she asked in undertone.

Jack didn't answer, his gaze fixed on Cross.

'Open it!' she spat suddenly, turning to Tara in frustration.

'I don't know how,' said Tara clearly.

Cross eyed her suspiciously. 'Hookes, Bullet!' The two men returned to the room.

Cross grabbed Tara's right arm. She struggled to keep the expression of pain from her face as the unhealed wound seared with pain.

'For your sake, I hope you're not lying,' Cross said, keeping her voice low. She looked up at the two pirates, who had entered the room, 'Hookes, take Miss _Bell_ back to her cell.' Hookes and Bullet glanced at each other curiously, but tied Tara's hands again and Hookes, the taller one, took her back to the brig, leaving Bullet, Jack and Cross alone.

Jack watched her in confusion while she studied the pendant with interest.

'I'm a fair woman Jack,' she began, 'I'll give the chance to convince her to tell me how to open it. If she chooses not to, then she'll be of no use to me any more…If you understand what I mean. You have till midnight tomorrow.' She tossed the chain to Jack and nodded to Bullet, who took Jack back to the brig also.

* * *

'So we're ready to leave?' 

Gibbs looked up at Liz. 'Miss Elizabeth, _you're _not goin' anywhere.'

Liz glared at him pointedly.

Gibbs surrendered. 'You're father's gonna have my neck.'

Liz hurried aboard, extremely pleased with herself. She entered the Captains Quarters to find Will and Anna-Maria hunched over a map.

'Do we know where to look?' she asked. They looked up at her.

'No idea,' said Anna-Maria not surprised to see her there, 'we thought we'd start with Tortuga, see if anyone knows anythin'.'

Liz nodded. 'And if they have?'

'Then we'd better pray it be good news,' said Will.

**Bugga, rescue mission, those don't go too well do they, at least not from my experience…review!**


	12. Escape

**This chapter was impossible, I swear I almost screamed, it was hell to write…literally…**

Jack walked down the steep stairs into the Brig of the ship, his guard muttering inaudibly behind him. Tara looked up at the men as they walked slowly towards her cell. She stood up and waited. Bullet shoved Jack into the cell, Jack turned to watch him leave.

'So, are you going to tell me?' Tara asked once the pirate had left.

'Tell you what?' replied Jack, without turning around.

'How you know her. You do know her?'

'I knew 'er.' He turned to face Tara, she was leaning casually on the back wall.

'Knew her?'

'She wan'ed t' be on my crew, years ago … '

'And?'

'And I turned 'er down, she wasn't … right … if you know what I mean.'

Tara peered at him mistrustfully. 'Are you sure that was all?'

Jack frowned. 'Yeah.'

'I'm willing to take your word for it this time … ' Tara sat on the ground and closed her eyes, rubbing her right arm lightly.

'Luv?' Jack asked, looking down at her from the cell door.

'Yes?' she muttered not opening her eyes.

'Do you know how to open it?'

She looked up at him. He was holding the pendant in the air.

'The pendant?' she voiced, 'I told you, no.'

Jack raised an eyebrow.

'Don't you believe me?' Tara said.

'I believe you, luv,' Jack muttered, sitting down next to her, 'but they don't. Cross said you 'ave 'til midnight tomorrow, then … '

'Then?' Tara echoed, her eyes went wide as she realised what would happen, 'Oh … might see what I can do.' She took the pendant and started fiddling with it. She hesitated. 'Why did you give it to her?'

Jack peered at her sideways. 'Dunno.' For the first time in days his mind was working overtime. That pendant must be _real_ valuable if Cross was after it, now all that had to be done was opening it.

xXx 

She awoke on her own for the first time in days. She could tell it was late, what's more she could tell they weren't moving. She slowly opened her eyes and waited for them to adjust to the darkness. The candles had been blown out.

'What _are_ you doing?' she whispered, Jack jumped slightly and turned to look at her.

'Tryin' t' get us outta 'ere, what does it look like?' he muttered back raising his hand to show her a large nail that he'd been using to pick the lock.

Tara raised an eyebrow and stood slowly. 'That'll never work, it's too thin.'

'You don't say … ' Jack replied sarcastically. He obviously wasn't having any luck.

She frowned angrily. 'Do you want my help?'

He moved aside and she moved to the lock, pulling a dagger from her pocket.

'Where did tha' come from?' Jack questioned.

Tara started working on the lock. 'My pocket, clearly,' she answered.

'Why didn't you use it earlier?'

'Jack, we're in the middle of a very large mass of water, and I'm not the best swimmer. Even if I had used it, we would have no where to go.' The lock clicked and the door opened with a quiet creak. Jack started forward but Tara grabbed his arm.

'Wait,' she hissed hurriedly, he stared at her, 'is this such a good idea? They plan to kill us … or me … we're not even sure they're asleep, what if we get caught? Me, I can get caught, I'm dead anyway, but … you … '

'All the more reason,' started Jack slowly, 't' get away.' He pulled his arm from her grip and started gradually up the stairs. Tara glanced at the cell for the final time and followed him silently up the staircase.

The crew was in the Galley, most of them had drunk themselves to sleep and those who were awake were in no condition to pick up a chase. Jack and Tara slipped past them silently and hurried to the Main Deck, which was only lit by the glow of a dying flame in a lantern at the Forecastle.

'Now what?' whispered Tara, shivering in the cold night, having nothing but a singlet and netted shirt on.

Jack looked around, his eyes fell on a nearby rowboat. 'Get in,' he muttered.

'What! You plan to row us away!'

'By the time they notice we'll be long gone.'

Tara started to protest. 'But-,' she didn't finish as Jack grabbed her by the waist and threw her into the boat. She sat up as he started lowering the boat into the water, jumping in as the first waves hit it.

Tara stared at him. 'I hope you know what you're doing.'

… **I can't think of anything, WHERE are the plot bunnies!**


	13. Marooned Again

**Disclaimer: This story has like, eleven fans … why aren't you reviewing ?(waves fist threateningly)**

'No offence Jack, but this island seems very … uninhabited … '

Jack tugged at the rope of the rowboat, dragging it up the shore as Tara pushed it from the back. She had jumped out to help him and was waist-deep in the water. Once they were high enough Jack tossed the rope down and fell into the sand, staring out at the horizon, his arms aching from rowing for hours. Tara stood by the side of the boat, watching the first rays of light miserably.

'Will they find us?' she asked after a while.

Jack looked up at her slowly. 'Who?'

Tara avoided his gaze. 'Anyone.'

Jack looked back at the water. 'My experience undoubtedly sanctions it … '

'Experience? You've been here before?'

'Twice.'

Tara frowned and stared at him. 'How did you get off? Please don't tell me it's that cock and bull story about the sea turtles…'

Jack snorted but decided on the truth. 'The firs' time, the Rum Runners used this island as a cache, an' I bartered my way off. The second time, I was regrettably marooned here with your cousin Elizabeth, who, after not so much consideration, burned what was left of the Rum Runners stash to use as a signal.'

'Hmm, bet that didn't go well.'

'No, we were … "rescued" by the Navy.'

'Oh.'

There was an awkward silence as the pair stared at the horizon. Eventually, Tara walked around the boat and sat down next to him.

'Am I a result of a one night stand?' she asked suddenly.

Jack looked at her in surprise. 'Where did tha' come from?'

'Well, if my mother didn't tell me about you until she was on her death bed, I'm guessing there were some unresolved issues.'

'There were certainly unresolved issues, luv.'

'I hate being right … '

The red sun rose slowly, becoming more and more blindingly bright. The day began to grow hot and soon Tara had moved into the shade. Jack went to mope around his parched rum supply and returned with two bottles of water, the only source that Liz hadn't burned because it wasn't flammable. As night fell, Tara suggested lighting a signal fire and started gathering wood that wasn't burnt enough already.

'Did you go t' school?' Jack asked after several minutes of watching the fire grow.

'Yeah … ' said Tara cautiously.

'Were you 'appy growin' up?'

'I suppose … '

'Was Bell … a good father?'

'I … well … not really, no … '

'Why?'

'Why the interrogation?' asked Tara, fearing another mood swing.

'Jus' curious. So?'

'So what?'

'So why?'

'Because he just, I don't know, didn't … relate to me. I was the one who hated dinners and dancing and all the formality, and he was the one who needed everything to be perfect. He always told me to practice being perfect … '

Jack made a face. 'Perfect? Let me ask you, if practice makes perfect, and nobody's perfect, then why practice?'

Tara giggled. 'Very logical.'

'So if you 'ate dinner's, dancin' an' formality, then what don' you 'ate?'

'Uhhh, that's a fine question … duelling, I'm good at that, haven't done it in a while … ' she trailed off, staring at the horizon and standing up. Jack followed her gaze and too, stood.

'I'm not hallucinating in that sense am I?' she asked slowly.

'Not if you're seein' the _Black Pearl_ too, luv … ' replied Jack.

xXx 

'Oh, thank god!'

Jack jumped from the dinghy onto the deck off his ship and stumbled back as Liz threw her arms around him. He patted her awkwardly until she let go and held out his hand to help Tara down. She didn't need it as she hopped from the small boat and landed smoothly on the deck beside him.

'Welcome aboard Miss Sparrow,' Gibbs said to Tara in his usual greeting manner.

She rolled her eyes and sighed miserably. 'Back to the drawing board … ' she muttered to Jack, obviously preferring to keep the name she'd known all her life.

Jack gave her an encouraging grin. 'Don' deny your roots luv.'

'What happened to you?' asked Will, stepping forward from the line the crew had made.

Jack opened his mouth to reply, but hesitated glancing at Tara again. She was slowly being suffocated.

'Breathe … can't breathe … Liz … ' she choked, poking her cousin in the side.

Jack turned back to Will. 'Prepared for yet another long story?'

Will smiled at a similar memory. 'You seem to be made of those …'

'Liz! I need air!'

**Sob, sob, sob, sob!**


	14. Truths

**Disclaimer: Da, da, da, na na na na, da, da, da, na na na na…Are you ready for this! Doo, doo, doo, da da da…**

**To my new fans: WELCOME! To my old fans: WELCOME BACK! Hmmm...where is that from... To whoever keeps walking on my grave: Stop it, you're sending chills down my spine and my teachers think I'm wierd coz I keep twitching! **

**If you're reading and not reviewing (KATHERINE!) then you're making my friend, who happens to be helping me co-write this, very angry.**

_**Author's friend: Yes … very … um, I'm not with her …**_

Gibbs looked from Jack to Tara cautiously. 'So, they kidnapped her, and then they kidnapped you…er…why?'

Tara rolled her eyes and continued fiddling with the pendant. The diamond glowed a dull blue in the flickering candlelight. She sat in one of the mismatched wooden chairs around the old table inside the Captain's Quarters, and had let Jack tell the most part of the story.

'Coz they're after the pendant

''Oh … righ' …' Gibbs nodded, slowly understanding

'ow'd you know where t' find us?' Jack asked Will.

'Well, you have a reputation for being hard-to-find, what's harder to find than an island in the middle of the Caribbean?' replied Liz with a hint of sarcasm.

'Isla De Muerta?' suggested Jack.

'Mmm,' murmured Liz, 'which is also an island in the middle of the Caribbean, and this "godforsaken spit of land" was just along the way … '

Tara wasn't paying any attention to their conversation, as, at that particular moment, she'd noticed something abnormally dark inside the diamond, just past the blue glow. The others voices faded into the background as she twisted the pearl off the diamond, there was a quiet click as the hook holding it there gave way and the pearl fell into her hand. She blinked as a bright red light shone from inside the diamond. It formed a horizontal map above the table. Red lines interweaved and criss-crossed forming longitude and latitude lines and some rose into the air forming peaks and landmasses.

Tara stood, gazing at it in wonder. 'I think I know how to open it now … '

'It's a map,' said Gibbs needlessly.

'Really Gibbs, I wouldn't 'ave noticed,' replied Jack, entranced, 'That's interesting. …

'Where does it lead?' asked Liz, her eyes wide.

Tara laid the pendant carefully on the table, keeping the diamond upturned. She pointed out a miniscule, black ship near one of the smaller islets. 'I guess that means, "you are here".'

Will waved his hand through the lines, causing them to momentarily ripple, then he pointed at a shining, gold cross on one of the islands near the edge of the map. 'Would that be the buried treasure then?'

'I do believe so …' murmured Liz.

Tara was watching Jack dismally. He seemed to be very interested in the map. _Great_ she thought _no wonder he was being so nice to me …_

Jack glanced up at her, and she looked down immediately. Suddenly, she felt that the sight of him would make her sick. For a moment no one said anything, then Liz gasped.

'I know where it is!'

Jack looked up at her in surprise. 'You do?'

'Isla Mona!' she said, excitedly, 'It's just off the coast of Puerto Rico!'

'How'd you know tha'?' asked Jack.

'Geography, Jack.'

There was another long pause, then Jack looked up. 'Le's go.'

Tara looked up at him. 'You're kidding.'

He eyed her with surprise. 'I'm the Captain 'ere, what I say goes, an' I say, we're goin'.' He started outside. Tara glanced at the other momentarily, who gazed back at her blankly, then decided to pursue it. She chased after Jack.

She stepped into the cold night, and saw him in the candlelight from the lanterns lit all over the _Pearl_. She followed him up to the Forecastle, pausing as he stopped to check ropes and such.

'But, it – it's – well – it's – don't you think it may be a little bit dangerous to go chasing after something that even the bad pirate, people, guys, want, I mean, we don't even know what it is, how can you risk everything, and everyone, might I add, on nothing but a theory!'

Jack slowed at the Main Companion Way and turned to her as she finished. 'You risked yourself on tha' theory!' he snapped, as if that justified his decision.

Tara stared at him in disbelief. 'Yes, I did, and look where I am now! I…live on streets! I avoid people as much as possible! I haven't had any friends since England! I was never so paranoid, mean or _weird_! I've never been as lonely as I have for the last year! I have scars, physical and psychological that'll be with me for the _rest of my life_! The only thing – person, that kept me going, that willed me into survival, was you!'

Jack stared at her in shock. 'Me?'

She was advancing upon him now, looking angrier than she'd ever been. 'You! I somehow deluded myself into believing that someday, maybe someday, you would come to your senses and save me - free me – from the demons, the bounty hunters, the pitiful envy I felt whenever I saw a daughter being hugged by her father in a park, myself even! But no, no all you see me as, is work, a leech that'll cling to you if it gets the chance, a sick little puppy that'll follow you forever! But that won't happen again!' She stopped short, surprised at herself for blurting all that out. 'Not again…' she repeated, quietly and unwillingly. Jack just stared at her in shock, feeling numb. There were tears in her eyes and she trembling clearly. She shook her head and pushed past him, hurrying down the stairs.

He stood still for several minutes, rooted to the deck boards. When he turned, he saw Will, Liz, Gibbs and Anna-Maria, who had come up the second flight of stairs amidst the shouting, watching him cautiously.

'Don' start,' he muttered to them as he started back to the Captains Quarters.

They glanced at each other in agreement and followed him.

'We're startin' Capt'n,' said Anna, leading the way.

Jack ignored them and pretended to be busy studying the map that still lay on the table. 'It shouldn' take too long t' get there, three days maybe…'

'Don't ignore this Jack,' muttered Will, stepping forward.

'Ignore what?'

'This,' said Liz, 'Tara, you've lost so much time with her already, and now she's telling you that she needs you to be a father to her!'

Jack looked up at her angrily. 'I'm not – I'm not a father, I'm a pirate.'

'Can't ye be both, Capt'n?' asked Gibbs. He shifted slightly at Jack's glare.

'No.'

Anna raised an eyebrow. 'Can't ya try?'

'No.'

Liz frowned at him. 'Why not?'

'Coz I don' wanna, tha's not my job.'

Will's eyes narrowed. _How can he be so cold?_ 'You know what? She was right. You consider it a job, you think she'll – she'll … drag you down or something!'

'You don' think she will?'

The others glanced at each other again and filed out of the room, leaving Captain Jack Sparrow angry and alone.

**Oh, ooo, hmmm, um ... yes ...**


	15. Lessons

**Disclaimer: Did you know, that according to the Da Vinci Code, Disney was a freemason? Yeah, think about it...**

Having found a bottle of rum, concealed in the Ship's Kitchen, Tara spent the night hiding in the shadows of the Galley, undisturbed and sad. There was no other way of describing how she felt, it was just … sad. In the morning as the crew ate, she stayed in the corner, until spotted by Will, Liz, Gibbs and Anna-Maria, who surrounded her as a cheer-me-up.

'I think, you've had quite enough to drink,' said Liz, smiling slightly as she peeled the bottle out of Tara's grip.

Tara didn't care, she was too depressed and too lazy to care. She folded her arms on the table and lay her head on them, studying the others' worried faces with ease.

'You know, I've heard a saying,' she stared, straightening up and resting her chin in the palm of her hand. 'If people deserve what they get, you should give it to them.'

Gibbs nodded in agreement. 'Then give it to 'em.'

Tara shook her head. 'Then what would you deserve … it would depend on the nature of what you give. That's where the saying "You get what you give" comes into play, unfortunately, and karma comes up and … kicks you in the ass …'

Anna snorted suddenly, and burst into laughter. 'Where've you been girl? To talk like that?'

Tara smiled uncaringly. 'Don't base your views on stereotypes; it doesn't get you any closer to true knowledge. And if you don't believe me, go to China, they've got monks there …' She trailed off and glanced at the stairs. 'Oh, here comes a bright, little ray of sunshine …'

Jack sauntered down the stairs, and paused at the bottom, surveying the Galley. ' 'right! Breakfasts over, time t' get t' work, we've got us a treasure t' find!'

The crew started up the stairs grudgingly, but Jack stayed in the room. He looked back at the group still seated around Tara. 'Get movin' you lot, we don' 'ave all day. Tara, I wan' you on deck in five minutes.'

'Piss off and let me have my hangover,' she snapped in reply.

'You'll be up in five, no arguments,' Jack continued, unperturbed, 'and I don' wanna 'ear you swearin' like tha' aboard my ship, savvy?'

She lifted her head and raised her hand. 'I'll walk off if you want me to.'

He started from the room, ignoring her last comment.

'I know you want me to though, admit it!' she called after him.

Will was clearly trying very hard not to burst into laughter then and there.

'Ye haven't met very many pirates, eh, Tara?' said Gibbs, curiously.

Tara shook her head. 'Heard a lot about them though, tall, creepy, a face you just want to … flatten … no offence.'

'None taken,' said the group in unison.

xXx

'Jacobs, pull tha' rope tighter, it'll give!'

'Jack, don't you think you should go easy on them, they've only had a few hours sleep,' muttered Will, standing next to him at the Quarterdeck rails.

'They'll be fine,' Jack replied briskly, 'and it wouldn' 'urt for you t' give me some credit.'

'Credit?'

' 'ave I ever let you down?'

'Eerr …'

'Say no.'

'No.'

'Then trust me, I've got everythin' under control.'

'Famous last words!' said a voice behind them.

Jack and Will turned to see Tara at the top of the stairs, watching them casually, but with a look of utmost hate and distrust in her eyes.

Jack didn't seem to care. 'You're late.'

'Of course!' she said simply, then mistrustfully added, 'Late for what, exactly?'

'For your firs' duellin' lesson,' Jack replied, he held out a cutlass for her, ' 'ere.'

Her brow furrowed in confusion as she took the cutlass. 'Duelling lessons?' she repeated blankly, 'Hoping to run me through while you've still got the chance?'

Jack felt a rush of annoyance but bit his tongue. He started towards the Waist, drawing his own cutlass and turned to face her again. She hadn't moved from her position at the top of the Quarterdeck stairs and was watching him apprehensively.

'I don't get it,' she admitted, lamely.

'Your. Firs'. Duellin'. Lesson,' Jack repeated slowly and clearly, as if talking to a five year old, 'You said you hadn' done it in a while, thought it'd be good for you t' get some practice in.'

Tara stepped forward uncertainly, raising the cutlass like she'd remembered.

'Know the basics?' Jack asked, watching as she raised the blade to his chest height.

She nodded slowly.

He moved his own cutlass slowly around, as though attacking. 'So if I move 'ere …'

She blocked him with ease, rolling her eyes. 'Please, I'm sixteen not six.'

'Hmm,' muttered Jack thoughtfully. 'Then, if I did this …' He attacked a lot faster, but found all of them blocked skilfully. ' … You'll just block …' he finished, 'Not bad. Very good, in fact, where'd you learn?'

She watched him calmly, turning as he circled her, to stay face to face. 'China,' she replied, keeping her voice low and mistrustful.

Jack paused and looked down momentarily. 'Ah – ha. …' Then he launched a full force attack on her, one which she saw coming. After a minute or so, they stopped again.

'You are good at this …' murmured Jack, catching his breath.

'Ohh, are we unfamiliar with breathing technique's?' she asked him, not at all out of breath.

'You don' need t' practice do you?' questioned Jack. She shook her head. 'Fine then,' he continued, 'then what do you say t' an actual duel?'

Tara glanced at Will apprehensively. He, Liz, Gibbs and Anna were watching from the Quarterdeck. Will shrugged, clueless. She was on her own.

'Fine,' she replied, carelessly, and raised the cutlass again, 'I'll try not to HURT you!'

Jack sneered. 'Don' worry, I've got my "lucky" pendant with me.' He withdrew the pendant from his pocket and held it in the air mockingly before replacing it in his coat.

Tara was glaring at him open-mouthed. Once the pendant was away, she regained composure. 'I told you, you'd regret that …' And full-fledged war began. The crew followed their process along the decks, some even raising bets as to who would win. Twice, Jack thought he had Tara pinned, but she reared back at him, unleashing the fury she'd carried for a year now.

It was coming to the end of the duel; only fifteen minutes since it's start, the swords were crossed. Jack tugged Tara closer.

'C'mon luv, don' make me embarrass you,' he muttered so only she could hear him.

'You've got it all wrong _dad_,' she hissed back at him, 'I won't be the one embarrassed.' She grabbed the blade of her sword carefully, so as not to cut herself, and spun it as hard as she could. She leapt into the air so that both of them spun parallel to the ground, then landed smoothly on both feet, blade still in hand. Jack on the other-hand, landing on his back, not expecting the sudden flying lesson, his cutlass flying from his hand into the air. Tara extended her own sword and tipped the blade of Jack's catching it by the handle in her left hand. There was a sudden silence aboard the _Black Pearl_.

'I told you,' she said, flipping Jack's cutlass and catching it by the blade, holding the handle out for him, 'I wouldn't be the one embarrassed.'

She strolled to the Quarterdeck to the others. 'You get what you give,' she muttered to Gibbs simply.

'Oh, ye gave,' he replied looking at Jack who was being helped to his feet by some of the crew, still in a daze, 'ye really did, but, d'you think ye maybe, overdid it a bit?'

'No, I think I underdid it a bit,' Tara corrected. She looked up as Anna came down the stairs of the Poopdeck, looking very pleased about something.

'Well done girlie!' she cheered, giving Tara a half-hug, 'Ye just won me quite a bit from Jacobs!'

'Well I'm glad I could help.'

'I like what you did with the crate,' perked Liz.

'You mean when he cornered me and I kicked it in his face?'

'No, no the other time …'

Will grinned to himself, watching Jack sheath his sword, knowing the Captain was too proud to admit defeat. He'd be making excuses about this for a while yet.

As Jack stood watching Liz, Gibbs and Anna congratulate Tara, it suddenly occurred to him that this fathering thing might not be half-bad, especially when the child is surprisingly gifted, in more ways than one.

**I like stories!**


	16. Betrayed

**Disclaimer: I only own Tara**

_**RIP Chucky, 2003-2005...he's a bird by the way...**_

**They made me dig his grave, which wasn't deep enough for the shoebox, so Mum helped. I'll always remember him from the scars left on my hands when he bit me.**

That night, after being congratulated what seemed like a thousand times, by what seemed like a thousand people, Tara had gone upstairs and was standing at the Head of the ship, looking out into the darkness, shivering. After a few minutes she started pacing to get warm. She could hear the crew, laughing and even singing behind her. _Apparently Jack hasn't told them he's risking their lives_ she thought bitterly. Speaking of which …

'What're you doin' out 'ere?' he asked, blocking her view of the others on deck.

'I'm standing,' she replied, her eyes narrowing at the sight of him, 'what? Did you just pass a law that no one may stand unless they have the Captain's permission?'

Jack frowned. 'It's so easy for t' 'ate me, isn't it?'

Tara suppressed a smile at her reply. 'You're easy to hate.'

'What 'bout what you said yesterday?'

'Doesn't mean you're any less easy to hate.'

Jack paused, watching her as she leaned on the rails, staring out over the water.

'That's it, then, is it?' he asked.

'What?'

Nothin' else t' say?'

'Actually, there is one more thing.' She turned to him.

'Oh? What's tha'?' He was vaguely interested now.

'You hate me just as much, don't you? Come on, admit it.'

'Contrary t' your belief, you're easy t' 'ate too.'

She looked back out at the water. 'I'm glad you left,' she whispered coldly.

Jack couldn't agree more. 'Well, I'm glad we agree on somethin' then …' He walked away, towards his crew, leaving her alone to deal with her demons. She masked her disappointment, but wasn't altogether surprised. Not until she noticed something in the water. She glanced around and spotted Will.

'Will, psst!' she hissed at him. He stared at her in surprise. 'Come here!'

He walked over to join her at the rails casually. 'Is something wrong?'

'Do you see that?' she pointed out a huge gap in the water, it seemed almost as if it were being pressed down by something see-through.

'Yes,' he answered peering at it, 'What is it?'

'I dunno …' she murmured, 'But I don't like the looks of it …'

'And with good reason …'

Tara and Will spun around. The noise on the deck stopped. Everyone was staring at the newcomers in shock, as they had just appeared out of thin air from where the gangplank would usually be placed.

'Cross …?' muttered Jack as she stepped aboard, 'So kind of you t' grace us with the pleasure of your company … without warning.' He glanced at Tara as if to accuse her of not telling them the _Wanderer_ was alongside. She looked back at him and shook her head, unsure of why she hadn't seen it. She looked back at the newcomers in alarm as the sound of many guns being cocked filled the air.

'Jack, please,' said Cross, sounding cheery, 'you left in such a rush last time, you forgot to give me back my pendant.' She held out her hand. 'Your outnumbered, Jack, don't make this more difficult than it needs to be.'

Jack glanced at her crew curiously, but withdrew the pendant and handed it Cross, knowing better than to argue as all of them had been caught off guard.

She took it with a sinister grin, hiding the pendant in her coat pocket. She lifted her gun and pointed it at Jack, cocking it as she did so. 'Here's the deal, I need to open it, and you know how to, so does she,' she nodded slightly in Tara's direction, 'so I'm giving you two choices. At this very moment, all of the _Wanderer_'s cannons are pointed directly at the hull of your ship, on my word, they'll be fired and your ship will sink, so, you can either choose to be a good Captain and go down with your ship, or …'

Jack raised an eyebrow. 'Or …?'

'… or, you can choose to give me the girl.'

Liz, who was standing next to Jack tensed immediately and looked at him worriedly.

'The ship? Or the girl?' teased Cross, softly.

Jack's face remained impassive. _The ship or the girl, the ship or the girl, the ship or –_

'The girl,' he said before he could stop himself.


	17. Remifications

**Disclaimer: Ah ha ha, ha, ha...**

**Whoa, hate mail! So my stories have twists, it's part of the intrigue people! I hope I managed to keep some of you in suspense, anyhoo, enjoy!**

'_You can either choose to be a good Captain and go down with your ship, or …'_

_Jack raised an eyebrow. 'Or …?'_

'… _or, you can choose to give me the girl.'_

_Jack's face remained impassive. **The ship or the girl, the ship or the girl, the ship or –**_

'_The girl,' he said before he could stop himself. _

There was a shocked cry from Liz and Anna-Maria gasped in shock. Jack was shocked at himself, he looked at Tara hopelessly as the two called Hookes and Bullet tied her hands behind her back. She didn't struggle, scream, cry or argue, she just glanced at Jack, her eyes hollow, but he noticed something, he hoped later he hadn't, defeat. She was taken away as the crew of the _Wanderer_ kept their guns on the crew of the _Pearl_, they were warned not to move for a further ten minutes, and then, Cross and her crew were gone.

As the ten minutes passed, the others started moving again, and the shock set in. Jack stared blankly at the ocean until Anna stood in front of him.

SLAP!

Jack winced. 'I deserved that.'

SLAP!

'That one too,' he added as Liz did the same.

'_What_ is wrong with you!' cried Liz. 'Are you out of your mind!'

'Well, what would you've done!' Jack snapped back.

'_I_ wouldn't have sold out my daughter!'

'You don' 'ave one!'

'Jack be reasonable,' said Will, trying to restore peace between his friend and wife, 'blaming each other won't get us anywhere. Now does anyone remember where that island is?'

'I do,' muttered Jack in reply, keeping his voice low.

'Oh, let me get this straight, you give 'er up and now you wanna get 'er back?' grumbled Anna.

'This isn' 'bout 'er,' retorted Jack, defensively.

'Of course! All you want is that treasure!' said Liz, not bothering to keep her voice low.

Jack glared at her but didn't reply, she was really pushing it. 'Well? What're you waitin' for! Get us movin'!' The crew scattered back to their posts, the _Black Pearl_ gained speed, crashing through the waves with Jack at the Helm. The crew left him alone; no one spoke to him throughout the night. Will glanced up at him every-so-often, slightly anxious by the lack of Jackness that he'd usually see.

Jack stood at the Helm, checking his compass now and then to make sure they were going the right way. The defeat in his daughter's eyes hurt more than any slap in the face, he had difficulty trying to remove it from his mind. He was even more unnerved by the fact that she didn't scream or swear at him in any way, silence was worse than anything. He stayed at the wheel not talking to anybody, trying to suppress anything and everything.

xXx

Tara sat miserably in her cell. By the second night, she found she had difficulty complaining due to the weakness from not having had any food since dinner before she'd first been kidnapped. The rum she'd drank seemed so long ago, and, being too tired to argue she showed Cross how to open the map and half requested, half begged she be left alone for the rest of the journey there. Despite the fact that she was clearly too weak to do anything, a guard was with her in the Brig all the time.

She glanced up after several hours of not moving, judging by the light coming in through the cracks in the ship's hull, it was early dawn. The bald guy who'd been the leader in the first kidnapping was watching her meekly.

'Your lucky we're beached on the right island,' he muttered. Tara looked up at him in surprise, she wasn't even aware they'd stopped moving, but now that she thought about it, they certainly weren't. She jumped as the man called Bullet stampeded down the stairs.

'Mr. Bening, sir!' he cried breathlessly to the bald guy. 'They've found it, they're all going, except me, I've come to relieve you sir.'

Bening stood up. 'Good.' He hurried up the stairs, and Bullet took his seat, holding the keys.

'Bet you want these,' he teased, dangling them in the air before the door so that Tara could see. She rolled her eyes in annoyance and shifted her weight.

An hour later, Bullet was asleep in his chair and Tara was dozing with her head in her arms. She was about to fall asleep, when a voice next to her, very loudly, and very clearly said the name of the person she loathed so much. _Captain Jack Sparrow . . . _She looked up in alarm, her first thought was that Bullet was playing a horrible prank her, but a loud snore on his part told her he was still asleep. She noticed the keys, hanging off the back of the chair, and realised what had happened. Her subconscious mind was telling her not to give up just because of what Jack had done. She still had a chance if she was willing to take it.

She rose carefully, trying not to make a sound, and withdrew the dagger that was still concealed in her pocket. She picked the lock with ease and replaced it into its sheath. She glanced around cautiously and her eyes landed on an empty bottle that held a candle by the stairs. She picked it up by the neck.

'Wakey, wakey,' she said loudly. Bullet jerked awake in alarm, but he didn't have long to take in the scenery as Tara brought the empty bottle down on his head, smashing it and knocking him out with a loud crashing sound.

Bullet slid out of the chair and Tara dragged him into the cell she'd just left, she locked it with the keys and pocketed them, in case of emergency.

She hurried to the top deck and slipped off the empty ship. It disappeared as soon as she left contact with it. She started for the beach, but thought better of it, instead wading away through knee-deep water to cover her tracks.

**What'll happen? What do you think!  
_When the world gets in my face, I'll say,  
HAVE A NICE DAY!  
_**


	18. Sharing the Shot

**Disclaimer: I only own Tara and anyone else who is unfamiliar in this story; got a problem with that? Take it up with my lawyers!**

Tara had left the beach. She was slipping and sliding along the slippery rocks at the base of the extremely tall cliffs that seemed to have no end. The objective was to get as far from the _Wanderer_ as possible, but she was beginning to worry as the tide came in. The watermarks left on the rocks rose as high as her neck, in some places even higher, and she couldn't see the end of the cliffs, or any beaches. She couldn't even be sure there were any more than the one where the _Wanderer_ was beached, and she didn't know how large the island was. The sun was suddenly covered by storm clouds and the warmth of the water soon disappeared. The tide started coming in, and after almost four hours of walking alongside the rock pools, Tara finally let herself rest. She collapsed on one of the drier boulders, breathing heavily, and shivering from the cold.

Her future looked bleak.

After several minutes, she stood up and started walking again, slower now, exhausted and weak. She edged around a deep-looking hole in the rock, panicking now that the water had risen to her knees. She couldn't turn back, she drown before she reached the beach. Her only choice was to plough on through the freezing water.

xXx

'You're lucky I don't hold a grudge.'

Will rowed towards the cliffs as Jack sat in the front of the small boat, surveying the island with his spyglass. The _Pearl_ sailed as close as it could safely, keeping only a few dozen metres away in case of trouble.

'You're lucky I don' shove you out of this boat now,' Jack replied bitterly. Will was the only one who volunteered to go out in the boat with him.

'Jack, the tide's coming in, why would she be out here?' asked Will, manoeuvring the boat around a large rock at the base of the cliffs. The water was only knee-deep here so he moved the boat back out to the deeper water, still keeping close to the base.

'She would be out 'ere, if she 'ad nowhere else t' go,' Jack said, as if it were something very obvious and simple.

Will glanced back. 'You're not worried, are you?'

'No,' Jack muttered indignantly, 'jus' sick of Anna-Maria an' your wife slappin' me.' It was true that Liz and Anna had agreed to slap him, every chance they got.

Will looked back at him now, pausing in his rowing. 'You are!'

Jack turned to look at Will, a look of anger in his eyes. 'Careful, whelp.' The boat rounded the corner, pushed gently by the current.

Will's eyes went wide. 'Jack?'

Jack looked back at the cliffs and spotted her.

'Tara!' Will called out from behind him.

She paused, turning her head slightly. From the corner of her eye she could see the boat, Will and Jack. She turned back and continued on, if she were going to be rescued, she'd hoped it wasn't by them.

Jack jumped out of the small boat, into the shallows and started following her, with the extremely annoying feeling of Déjà vu.

'C'mon, luv, stop!' he called, only five metres behind her. She ignored him and continued on. 'You don' even wanna 'ear me apologise? Luv … talk t' me …'

She slowed. 'Apologise … for what?' She sounded weary and couldn't be bothered raising her voice.

Jack was taken aback. 'What you mean, "for what"?'

She glanced back at him. 'There was a time when I actually wanted you to apologise, but that time has long passed. All I want now is just to be left alone.'

'Don' be ridiculous,' Jack muttered, 'you'll die.'

She looked him in the eye now. 'Between you and death … I'll choose death.' She started walking again, slowing down from the exhaustion.

Jack glanced back at Will, who had slowed his rowing to let the pair talk. He turned back to Tara, an idea in his head. He started after her again. 'Luv, what would your mother think of this?' SPLASH! He'd fallen into one of the sinkholes in the rocks.

Tara turned to see him come up coughing and spluttering. She rolled her eyes and stepped back, pulling the collar of his jacket to help him up.

Jack didn't dwell, he even focused on the ray of hope, he saw from this. 'See, luv, you're 'elpin' me up.'

Tara let go of his jacket, looking bored. 'I was raised never to look down on _anyone_ unless I was helping them up.' She turned away again.

Meanwhile, the crew of the _Pearl_ were watching, not twenty-five metres away. Some were trying, with difficulty, not to burst out laughing as Jack struggled to make some peace, others were feeling deeply sorry for him. Liz was in two minds.

'He deserves it,' she muttered to Anna-Maria, who was standing next to her.

'Aye,' agreed Anna, 'but she should really come aboard, the tide'll start comin' in faster soon.'

xXx

'Well, if it makes you feel any better,' said Jack, still following Tara, 'I've been slapped; many times, in fact.'

Tara didn't answer; she just kept walking.

'A'right!' Jack strode forward and blocked her way. 'Tha's it. You 'ate me, I get it, an' righ' now, I give you full permission t' beat me, and scream at me.' He spread out his arms, raising himself defenceless. 'Go on, let it out.'

Tara looked up at him for a moment. It sounded tempting, but she didn't have the strength, or the indignity. She stepped around him and continued through the knee-deep water.

Jack lowered his arms, feeling like he was back to square one again. He glanced at Will for help, but he was staring at Tara in confusion. Jack turned back to her, completely uncertain. He was surprised to see she'd stopped.

'Where did you come from …' she said cautiously. Jack suddenly saw who she was talking to. Hookes and Bening had just arrived from a gap between the rocks. Bening was raising his gun.

In a split-second decision, Jack grabbed Tara and pulled her back, enough so that they both fell into another sinkhole in the rocks. When they resurfaced, they heard gunfire coming from the _Pearl_.

'I know you said death, but -,' Jack trailed off as a bullet hit a rock behind him.

Tara nodded. 'Yeah, hypothermia and drowning, I'd choose death. Between bullets and you, I'd actually choose you!' She slid over the barrier-like rock that divided their sinkhole and the open water, and dived. She came up for air only when she'd reached the safe side of the _Pearl_. Jack surfaced beside her and two ropes fell into the water. As they reached the deck Tara fell back in exhaustion, leaning against the wooden rails.

Jack crossed the ship to the port rails. 'Where are they?'

The crew lined the side, guns at the ready.

'We got the bald one, the other one's gone,' replied Gibbs, his eyes scanning the cliffside.

Tara scrambled to her feet and crossed the deck standing, side on, a metre between Jack and Will, who had abandoned the dinghy in haste.

Jack searched the rocks, his pistol in his right hand, cocked and ready. Tara shivered, freezing, helped only by the sun, which had come out from behind it's cloud. She was too tired to care if anyone was trying to kill her now. No one made a sound.

Suddenly, Jack's breath caught in his throat, he had just seen the unmistakable glint of light on metal in a dark fissure in the cliff face. Without thinking, he grabbed Tara's right wrist and pulled her towards him, covering her head with his right arm. He felt a singe of pain, but ignored it; spinning around and using his body as a shield, he pulled her down to the deck.

Tara didn't have a chance to react; all she felt was a considerable amount of pain in her right arm, then her left shoulder. There was another series of gunshots.

Jack released her arm and studied her carefully. She looked up at him, confused then frowned as she noticed a wound on his right forearm. She glanced at her left shoulder and realised; they'd been hit by the same bullet.

Jack didn't delay; he stood and looked at Liz. 'Get 'er out of the open.'

Tara struggled to her feet and Liz hurried forward to help her into the Captains Quarters. Tara fell into the first chair from the door. Liz stepped toward the cabinets by the window and took out a first aid case. Placing it on the table before Tara. She opened it and started taking out equipment. Tara reached up and grabbed her arm.

'I can do it myself,' she said, sharper than she'd intended.

Liz lowered the rubbing alcohol and nodded, leaving Tara alone in the room.

Tara's hands shook as she pulled off the netted, long-sleeved shirt to check the wound in her shoulder. It wasn't life threatening, just a deep graze, so deep that she could even see the bone. The blood trickled down her left arm as she pulled the bandages off her right. She removed the stitches quickly as she realised that was what was causing the pain. She cleaned it a dressed it with fresh bandages.

As she finished she considered going outside to see what was happening, but resolved to stay where she was until otherwise instructed.

**Review please!**


	19. The Pair Deal

**Disclaimer: Mine... ALL MINE! Muahahahaha!**

**The following occurs between 6:14pm and 8:45pm: 15-6-05, ermmm, been watching too much 24.**

'_Master Bell, the young one, as you instructed.'_

'_Leave us Margaret.' _

_A twelve-year-old Tara looked up at Bell miserably as the dark-skinned maidservant left the room, closing the heavy oak doors behind her. Tara shifted her weight slightly, the skirt of her maroon and black dress swaying at her ankles. She wore the look of a child who'd been caught stealing from the kitchens, but she knew that any punishment would be worse than that._

'_I hear you've been speaking ill of me to your schoolmates,' murmured Bell from the winged armchair by the fire. Tara could see nothing of him but his hand, resting on the arm of the chair, swirling a large glass of Brandy. It was dark in that room, only lit by the leaping fire; the beams of the high ceiling seemed to act as a cover for lurking beasts. Tara had always hated that room._

'_Not ill, sir,' answered Tara, her voice deliberately soft. She felt she must keep it that way in Bell's presence. _

'_Oh?' he said, thoughtfully, but coldly. 'Was it not you, then, who claimed I was not your biological father?'_

_Tara's head perked up immediately, she had expected _false_ accusations, but not this. 'It was merely an … unconsidered comment, sir. Meaning nothing.'_

_Bell placed the glass on the side table, stood and stepped toward the fire, gazing into it, resting his arm on the mantle. 'Meaning nothing?' he echoed. 'Tell me, child … who is Jack?'_

_Tara's stomach turned over. She swallowed before answering. 'I don't know, sir.'_

'_What is, the _Black Pearl_?'_

'_I don't know.'_

'_Why do you speak of it?'_

'_I don't.'_

_Bell turned to her, distaste in his eyes, but a look of triumph on his face. 'You lie to me.'_

_Tara shook her head, fear rising in her chest. 'No.'_

'_Do you think I have not heard you, at night, muttering in your sleep?' he asked, advancing upon her. 'It is always the same thing, "the _Black Pearl_ is coming, Jack will reprieve". What does it mean?'_

_Tara gazed at him blankly, it was true, she did have dreams; of black sails and a figurehead of a ship, but she didn't recall a _Black Pearl_ or Jack._

'_I don't know,' she answered truthfully._

_Bell grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her ruthlessly. 'How do you know of Jack!'_

_Tara blinked, shocked at her stepfather's reaction. 'I don't know any Jack!'_

_Bell glared at her for a further minute, then released her, pushing her away like she was diseased. He turned away. 'Go to your room, Margaret will bring you supper.'_

_Tara didn't hesitate. She hurried up the stairs rubbing her shoulders where Bell had touched them._

_xXx_

'Tara, come back luv!'

Tara blinked as Jack clicked his fingers in her face.

'What?' she blurted.

Jack raised an eyebrow. 'My question; you've been starin' int' space, luv, blind an' deaf t' everythin'!'

Tara looked up at him blankly. 'Really? I hadn't noticed.'

Jack shook his head and sat in the chair next to her, pulling the first aid kit towards him and taking off his jacket, rolling up his sleeve to examine the wound on his right forearm.

Tara's mouth fell open; she couldn't help herself. The first thing she saw was the brand, the burnt in "P".

' 'S not like you've never seen a scar before,' he muttered.

Tara immediately closed her mouth and looked away. 'Sorry … you know, for … getting you … shot …'

'Don' pretend I didn' deserve it, luv.'

Tara glanced up at him guiltily. 'No one deserves to be shot.'

Jack winced as he dabbed the wound with the cloth soaked in alcohol but didn't answer. 'What were you thinkin' 'bout? When I came in?'

'Ahh, I was just remembering … something,' she muttered. Why hadn't she remembered those dreams earlier? 'On another subject,' she continued, 'I think I'll go … see if there's anything I can do … out there …' She gestured at the doors and stood up. She barely took three steps toward the door before being overcome by a wave of exhaustion. She stumbled, but quickly regained composure and sat back down.

'Or not …' she murmured, admittedly tired.

Jack eyed her suspiciously. 'Luv, when was the last time you ate?'

Tara considered it for a moment. 'Tuesday, dinner.'

'WHAT! That was almost six days ago!'

'I'm aware of that …'

Jack stared at her for a moment, silently asking her if she was serious.

'I had some rum …' she added, as if that solved the problem, 'does that count?'

Jack shook his head in amazement. 'Elizabeth!' They heard the sound of approaching footsteps and Liz opened the door.

'What is it Jack?' she asked, sounding exasperated.

'Get Tara somethin' t' eat.'

Liz nodded and walked away.

'I'm not an invalid you know, I could get it myself,' Tara muttered as Jack bandaged his arm.

'You can barely walk, 's a miracle you managed t' swim 'ere.'

'I've gone days without food before, it's not unusual.'

' 'S also un'ealthy.'

Tara felt a rush of annoyance. 'You're not my nursemaid.'

'Well, seems t' me like you need one,' Jack retorted.

Tara bit her tongue. Bell had said the very same words to her. 'You're really starting to remind me of my father,' she said before she could stop herself.

Jack looked up at her in surprise. 'Luv, perhaps you need reminding, coz, guess what, whether you like it or not, _I am your father_.'

Tara averted her gaze. She really didn't need reminding.

'A'right,' said Jack, standing up, ' 'ow 'bout a deal? As long as both of us are aboard this ship, we call an … armistice, how 'bout that?' He held out his hand to shake hers.

She looked up at him mistrustfully. 'An armistice?'

Jack nodded. 'No fightin', no arguin', jus' treat each other like civilised, human, beings.'

She owed him that much, for taking her in at least. She extended her arm and shook his.

'Deal.'

**Review!**


	20. The Second Dream

**Disclaimer: This program is brought to you by Microsoft!**

**Okay, fine, I know I'm terribly obssessed, but that's no reason to treat me like an idiot! And no reason to recommend me to an Asylum! For God's sake (Annika) there's no need to roll your eyes like you're better than me evry time I even mention the word Pirates!**

**Sorry people, had to get that off my chest. **

'_My lady Bell? The Master wants a word with you in his private study.'_

_Tara pressed her ear harder to the door, trying to hear through the crack as the maidservant lead her mother down the stairs. She turned back to the open window and climbed onto the roof, trying not to make a sound from her shoes. She slid down the lattice to the ground below. The moon was high in the sky as it was almost midnight. She doubted she'd get caught, the servants thought she was asleep, when, in reality, she'd been waiting for the opportune moment to climb down and eavesdrop by the study window._

_This was it._

_Ducking into the hydrangea bushes by the kitchen window, she moved with precision, like a snake, almost, until she reached the open window. Immediately, she heard her parents' voices inside._

'_The girl knows something,' Bell was saying, his voice low as he clearly did not want to be overheard._

'_How can she?' interjected her mother. 'She's twelve, and I've said nothing.'_

'_Margaret has told me about those dreams she keeps having.'_

'_They're just dreams! What on earth do they have to do with Jack?'_

_Tara struggled not to gasp; there was a Jack. Her hearing seemed to sharpen, she pressed back harder against the wall. Bell was talking again._

'_I don't know, maybe you should ask her since she keeps saying his name.'_

_Tara could hear the amazement in her mother's voice. 'What?'_

'_She says, "Jack will reprieve". I didn't even know she knew such words!'_

'_Well, Jack is a very common name, I'm sure she just-,'_

_Bell interrupted. 'Not when it is used in the same breath as the _Black Pearl_.'_

'_The _Pearl_?'_

' "_The _Black Pearl_ is coming". Now tell me, how is it she knows of his ship, let alone of him?' Tara could tell her father was losing his patience._

'_I don't know, not from me,' explained her mother hastily, ' I'd never tell her about her father or the _Pearl_, not in my right mind anyway.'_

_Tara bit her tongue, hard. Whatever she'd been expecting, that wasn't it. She'd heard enough. She slipped back up the lattice and through the window, cursing herself as she went. She knew she shouldn't have pried. She sat in her bed for the next hour, letting the truth sink in. When she finally fell asleep, the dreams of the sails and ship figurehead returned, only now they made more sense; now she knew they belonged to the _Black Pearl …

xXx

Tara gasped awake. Her eyes flew open at a memory long-since-lost. She glanced around; numbly aware she was aboard the ship of her dreams, literally. She sat up in the single bed, in one of the empty cabins of the ship. Three days earlier, she'd asked Jack why it was empty when one of the crew could have moved in, but he simply told her to sleep and left her very confused.

The room was very plain and obviously hadn't been used for some time. There was a small window beneath which stood a desk and chair, a shelf on the wall across from the bed, which held a very old copy of Selected Poetry, and, of course, the bed itself, which was a four-poster made of strange wood. The hangings had been taken down to prevent them from getting as dusty as everything else in the room.

Tara stood shakily, still tired from the previous few days and crossed the room to her bag, which Liz had kindly brought aboard for her, to change. She chose a peach, V-neck sweater, light-blue Levi's and white, ankle-high, heeled boots.

She checked her belongings, pulling them out of the bag and laying them on the bed. Eight tops and pairs of pants, six pairs of shoes. Then, at the very bottom of the bag were the small first aid kit and a large fold up box full of weapons. Daggers and knives, three pistols with bullets and powder, both of which were running low. Then there were the more unusual weapons, like the murder blade (a short, thin cone like weapon, with a sharp point, normally used to stab into the heart or arteries) and Malayan Kris. About half of these weapons were with her at all times, at least one when she was in no immediate danger.

'Impressive collection,' came the voice from the doorway.

Tara jumped and spun around to see Will looking at the weapons case on the desk with curiosity. 'Will,' she breathed, 'you scared me.'

'Not more than those scare me,' he admitted sheepishly.

Tara grinned guiltily to lighten the mood and hid a blade in her ankle holder.

'What's that?' he asked, eyeing her oddly as she straightened up.

She closed the case and locked it, placing the key in her pocket, with the others she'd stolen off the _Wanderer_. 'A murder blade.'

'I don't like the sound of that.'

'Neither do the victims,' she said before she could stop herself.

Will raised his eyebrow in interest. 'Victims?'

'Never mind.'

**R&R!**


	21. The Truth Behind the Dreams

**Disclaimer: The show was cancelled because of the fire extinguisher.**

'How much farther to Tortuga?'

'Why the rush whelp?'

Jack didn't look at him as they spoke; he was too preoccupied with a tangled mass of ropes at his feet.

'I don't think Tara's doing too well,' Will confessed after coming up the stairs from their little visit.

Jack didn't seem too worried as he watched Liz and Anna pulling at the same rope thinking it were two, with an amused smile on his face. 'Seasickness, she'll get over it.'

Will shook his head as Anna pulled Liz off balance and they both burst into laughter upon realising their mistake. 'I don't think that's the problem.'

Jack laughed obliviously. 'What?'

Will nudged him impatiently, trying to get his attention. 'Did you hear me?'

'No,' Jack replied, now looking Will in the eye, still smiling in his amused way, 'what'd you say?'

'Ta – ra,' Will repeated, 'she's not well, and it's not seasickness, it's something else.'

The smile didn't completely leave Jack's face, but a worried shadow crossed his eyes. 'Somethin' like what?'

'She's been having dreams, nightmares, I think,' said Will, 'I heard her last night, muttering.'

'Mutterin' what?'

'I'm not sure, I only heard her say "I know", the rest was inaudible.'

'Hmm,' murmured Jack, thoughtfully playing with his beard, 'where's she now?'

'The Galley.'

Jack nodded, knowing that if he didn't go, there'd be several more slaps awaiting him. He turned and started down the stairs.

xXx

Tara sat in her seat at the table in the corner, her head in her arms, tired from too few hours of sleep. She was numbly aware of someone entering the room as she slipped into a doze.

Jack stepped forward uncertainly. She seemed to be asleep. He sat in the seat across from hers but she didn't move.

After a while, she said, 'Hello Jack.' She looked up at him, resting her chin on her folded arms. 'Shouldn't you be Captaining?'

'Will says you're not well?' said Jack, getting straight to the point. He noticed now, that her face was pale and her eyes were very bloodshot. ' 'Ave you … been cryin'?'

Her eyes narrowed very slightly. 'Will says too much,' she said harshly.

' 'Ave you been sleepin'?' Jack asked, ignoring her comment.

'Sleep is overrated,' Tara muttered suppressing a yawn.

Jack frowned slightly. 'Holly told me 'bout you,' he muttered in realisation, Tara looked up sharply so he added, 'not by name, she never mentioned you were my daughter either.'

Tara buried her head in her arms again. She couldn't really care less; her mother couldn't seem further away.

Jack studied her slender frame. This wasn't the person Holly had described to him; not the kind, happy, carefree child she had conceived. Tara seemed different from when he had first met her aboard the _Wisdom Cross_ too. She seemed happier then, even though she had just lost her mother.

'What 'appened t' you?' Jack thought aloud. It took him several seconds to realise he'd actually said it and he regretted it instantly. But Tara didn't seem altogether bothered. She shifted her head slightly, so that she was looking to the side. It took him by surprise when she answered.

'I don't know,' were her words. Jack was reminded of the innocence he'd heard aboard the _Cross_. "Why are you letting us go?" They were such soft words, like those of an angel. Those words were flooded with confusion and purity; these were flooded with bitterness and sorrow.

'I've seen too much … done too much,' she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

'What've you seen? What's in your nightmares?' Jack asked, keeping his voice level.

'I knew about you, long before mother …' she trailed off, unable to speak of her mother's death.

'That wouldn't be enough t' give you nightmares … would it?' He noticed she trembled slightly at the mention of the nightmares.

'People were dying,' she said, her face still averted, 'there was a fire, that's how Bell died. I was there. At the plantation. I wasn't meant to be …'

Jack stared at her in confusion. 'I thought Bell died in an accident …'

'I told myself that … the memories, weren't something I wanted to hold on to. And mother – mother was injured, and the doctors gave her a year … two at the most …'

Jack shook his head; she had to be wrong. 'Your mother died of cancer, not an injury.'

'No, in the fire, something fell, her head was bleeding …' Tara trailed off, raising her head a little but staring at the table. The memories returned in flashes.

'Tara, you're probably in shock,' Jack muttered, trying to make her see sense, 'it takes a while sometimes, it'll wear off, jus' keep-,'

'I knocked over the oil lamp,' Tara whispered, horror spreading through her, 'I did it. Bell was crushed … by the beam. Mother, tried to get me out but something fell … the chandelier … I did it.'

Jack stared at her, how could she blame herself for such a thing? 'Luv, you couldn't 'ave done anythin' like that intentionally, it was probably an accident -,'

She shook her head violently. 'We were arguing. They knew I knew …'

'Knew what?' asked Jack, now slightly unnerved.

'The _Black Pearl_ is coming, Jack will reprieve …' she murmured, more to herself than to him, 'the dreams … I knew what they meant, I knew who you were, who Bell wasn't …' She trailed off again, her eyes glassy.

'You knew who I was?' Jack asked, completely taken aback by the news. 'Before Holly died?'

At the mention of her mother's name Tara seemed to snap back to reality. She stared at him in horror. 'That means … that means … oh god … I killed them …'

'No, you didn', don' say that!'

'Yes, I did, they took me to that house to convince me they were my parents, but I wouldn't listen. I argued. I caused that fire. I killed -,' her voice broke. She burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably into her arms.

'No, luv,' Jack stared at her grimly, 'you couldn' kill anyone, it was an accident.'

She wouldn't listen. The ship reminded her of the dreams. The dreams awoke the memories. _Memories_, not fantasies. Jack realised there was nothing he could do but let her weep. He patted her awkwardly on the arm, still completely confused and shocked.

'It wasn' your fault,' was all he could say, 'you weren' responsible … you were twelve for pities sake!' He suddenly found that he couldn't bear to see her so upset. 'No, c'mon, please don' cry!'

He was shocked to hear a cold laugh from between the sobs; she looked up at him, her face streaked with tears. 'Why Jack?' she asked, a sad smile crossing her face. ' I thought you'd be happy to see me like this.'

**Disclaimers thanks to my older sister, she goes to Uni.**


	22. Jack's Winning Words

**Disclaimer: If I owned this, I'd wouldn't be posting it on the Internet, and furthermore, I'd be rich!**

**Willy Wonka: "And you, you're Mike Teevee, you're the little brat who beat the system."**

**I saw that! Twice! It was so good!**

_** We're the Eagles - West Coast Eagles  
And we're here to show you why  
We're the big birds, Kings of the big game  
We're the Eagles, we're flying high.  
- Rock on! The Eagles are gonna win the finals! The Swans are gonna lose! Booooo! Go the Eagles!  
**_

Jack gawked at her. 'I – well – I ...' Captain Jack Sparrow wasn't often lost for words.

She looked down and sniffled. Tears still streamed down her face, dropping onto the table. There was a tense silence.

'No,' said Jack firmly.

Tara looked up at him. 'What do you mean, "no"?'

'You will not blame yourself for this, it was an accident, nothin' more.'

Tara gazed at him blankly. After a moment she said, 'Leave me be.'

'No,' repeated Jack, determined to make her see he light, 'You were a happy kid once, now you've been alone for a while and you 'aven't 'ad anyone else t' blame. I don' know whose fault it was, but I can tell you for certain it wasn' yours!'

Tara looked away, a little voice inside her telling her he was right, but she didn't say so. Jack stood suddenly and stepped around the table, crouching beside her.

'I don' care if you believe it or not, but I wanna 'ear you say it.'

Tara looked down at him, her eyes red.

'Say it,' he pressed laying his hand on hers.

Tara looked down at her father's hands, they seemed to offer her the security she so desperately desired.

'Say it,' he repeated.

Tara swallowed. 'It wasn't my fault,' she said, very slowly her voice shaking. She trembled violently as she did so, and suppressed another sob.

Jack nodded with satisfaction. 'Good girl …'

He stayed with her until she stopped shaking and crying completely, then led her back to her room.

xXx

Jack surfaced after being completely sure that Tara was asleep. As soon as he appeared on deck, Will, Liz and Anna besieged him.

'Well it's about time,' said Liz, looking relieved, 'we were beginning to think you'd had another row!'

Jack shook his head, immensely pleased with himself. 'Actually, no.' He started up to the poopdeck.

The other three exchanged confused looks and chased him up the stairs where he'd relieved for Gibbs, who hurried away to attend to other duties.

'Well then, what happened?' asked Will, looking slightly concerned.

Jack shrugged. 'Nothin'.'

Anna looked unconvinced. 'Oh no, Captain, somethin' happened, you're too … happy …'

Jack raised an eyebrow, utterly perplexed. 'Why shouldn' I be 'appy? The sun's out, we've got perfect sailin' conditions, we'll be in Tortuga t'morrow …'

'No …' muttered Liz, peering at him suspiciously, 'you're _too_ happy, and after a talk with Tara … you proved some sort of point didn't you? Something she was trying to disprove, perhaps?'

Jack shook his head. 'No.'

They gaped at him in amazement.

'No arguments?' said Will curiously. 'No winnings? No threats?'

Jack shook his head again, smiling at their confusion.

'Wow, Jack,' whistled Anna, 'she must really hate you …'

Jack made a face and glared at her. 'Actually, we talked, that's not _too_ bad is it?' He flung a rope on the wheel and started down the stairs to the Waist of the ship, picking up stray ropes as he went.

'I don't understand,' called Liz, following him closely.

'Talked, like we're doin' now, only with less annoyance,' Jack replied, tossing the ropes out of the way.

The other three glanced at each other again.

'About what?' asked Will.

'Nothin' that concerns you,' Jack muttered, untangling two difficult ropes with his back to them. He couldn't suppress his grin.

Anna gasped. She rarely revealed any shock. 'You were nice!'

Jack didn't answer. His grin grew wider.

'Good Lord!' exclaimed Liz. 'Did you act like a father?'

Jack turned to them, still grinning. 'Perhaps I did …'

'HA!' Will cheered in triumph. 'I knew you were worried!'

Jack snorted at Will's reaction and started to the Captains Quarters. They chased after him again.

'Proud, Captain?' asked Anna, wondering if he'd answer. 'How were you nice?'

'Comforting,' Jack muttered, a sense of pride growing in his chest.

'Why did she need comforting?' questioned Liz in confusion.

'If you mus' know, she … remembered somethin' she shouldn' 'ave.' Jack rummaged through a draw, bringing out a small map and laying it out on the table.

His friends gazed at him in quiet awe. After recognising their silence he turned to look at them curiously.

'What?' he asked blankly.

Liz stepped forward to give him a hug. When she released him he wore a look of complete and utter alarm.

'What was that for?' he asked cautiously, as though afraid she might do it again.

Anna laughed at his confusion and Will actually shook his hand and congratulated him. After that, the three left the room and Jack, who was still completely baffled.

xXx

Tara awoke and was surprised to realise she hadn't had any nightmares. She sat up and glanced out the window, and, judging by the darkness outside and the silence aboard the ship, recognised how late it was.

'Mornin'.'

She jumped slightly and noticed her father sitting on the chair in the farthest corner of the room.

'Sorry,' he muttered with a smile, 'didn' mean t' startle you.'

She stared at him puzzled. 'Have you been sitting there … how long have you been sitting there?'

'Not long,' he muttered reassuringly.

She continued to gaze at him, still confused, until she realised she was staring and looked hurriedly away.

Jack's smile didn't fade. ' 'Ow're you feelin'?'

'Better, thankyou,' she replied politely. She decided to voice her curiosity. 'Um, not to be rude, but … _why_ are you sitting there?'

Jack shrugged, not at all sure of the answer himself. 'Wan'ed t' see if you'd 'ave any more nightmares, s'pose.'

'Oh …' She couldn't put her finger on it, but something felt weird, different. She swung her feet from the bed, suddenly feeling awkward.

Jack felt it too. He rose from his chair and intended to leave, but stopped short.

'Wait!' she cried suddenly. He turned to stare at her in surprise.

'What did you mean?' she continued, still on the bed. 'When you asked about what happened to me?'

Jack blinked. He wasn't expecting that. 'Holly told me you were 'appy. That you used t' smile a lot. Laugh …'

'Laugh …' she echoed, 'I can barely remember those days. They seem like a past life.' She stared into space.

Jack strode to the bed and sat down next to her. 'What _did_ 'appen, to that Tara?'

She blinked and looked down. 'She was chased away, by a killer … that's all I was, a killer, I had to kill to survive, kill for protection …' She sighed deeply. 'It no longer exists. The killer's gone now. Now there's just, nothing …'

Jack rubbed her back gently.

'I've lost my way, Jack,' she admitted, dully, 'I used to have a place in the world. I don't know what that is anymore.'

'You'll find yourself, luv,' Jack consoled, 'you'll find your way again, jus' be patient, let it come t' you.'

Tara was speechless. He was helping her, after all she'd done to make him hate her, he was actually helping. 'Thankyou,' she murmured, it was all she could say.

**Eagles are gonna WIN the AFL Grand Final, I've already said that, but... THEY'RE GONNA WIN! Wooo! Ben Cousins is hot!**  



	23. Clarice

**Disclaimer: This story is PIRATED**

**_We're the Eagles, the West Coast Eagles,  
And we're here to show you why,  
We're the big birds,  
Kings of the big game,  
We're the Eagles, we're flying high!_  
**

**Okay, so the Eagles lost the finals, but we've still got the Ashe- ... ah, sh!**

'Tortuga HO!'

'Fifteen men on a dead man's chest!'

'Shut _up_ you stupid bird!'

Tortuga loomed ahead as the _Pearl_ sailed towards it. Tara still wasn't sure why they were going there, or if in fact, there was a reason for it at all. Cotton's parrot wasn't helping her think. Whether on Jack's orders or on it's own free will, it started following her around, squawking and yelling the weird pirate phrases.

'Whoa!' She ducked low as Liz swung a cutlass at her head. She pulled it back immediately and raised a hand to her mouth apologetically.

'I'm sorry, I thought you'd block that,' said Liz, watching Tara straighten up. They were at the Waist of the ship; Liz had talked Tara into giving her some duelling lessons. She, of course had difficulty finding suitable clothes for her skinny frame. Tara on the other hand, wore her favourite fighting clothes. A black, wrist-length-sleeved, top, with black three-quarter pants that were tucked neatly into her knee-high Stiletto boots.

'I would have,' Tara said huffily, 'if that bird hadn't caught my attention, I would have.'

Liz looked up at the macaw. It looked down at them innocently from the Mast boom.

'Pieces of eight!' it yelled.

Tara stared up at it. 'Pieces of … what does that even _mean_!'

Liz swung at her again, hoping to catch her off guard, but Tara sensed Liz's movement and blocked her with ease.

'What do they teach you in those orphanages?' Liz muttered in disappointment, she jumped back as Tara swiped at her.

'No, block, Liz,' Tara corrected, 'when I stab at you, move back, when I swipe at you, you block … and I didn't learn this in the orphanage. They were afraid of letting us near the kitchens, full of, sharp and pointy objects.'

Liz lowered the sword. 'Well what about the … murder blade?'

'That was a gift,' Tara muttered truthfully, lowering hers also.

They both looked up as Gibbs started cursing.

'Bloody, infernal, good for nothing -,' he broke off as Jack, Will and Anna came out of the Captains Quarters.

'What seems t' be the problem?' Jack asked sounding slightly amused.

'I told ye,' Gibbs said, 'I told ye it was bad luck to have a woman aboard, the ship's sprung a leak in the weapon's cache, the gunpowder's ruined.'

Jack didn't seem unperturbed. 'We'll jus' get some at Tortuga.' He made for the Helm leaving Gibbs standing at the top of the stairs in confusion.

Tara stepped up to him casually. 'Gibbs, didn't you know good things come in threes?'

Jack hesitated on the stairs and glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

'SQUAWK! Devils and black sheep!'

'That's it! Will, get my gun …'

xXx

'Eek, solid ground.'

Tara stepped forward, trying to regain her balance on the docks of Tortuga, having just stepped out of one of the _Black Pearl's_ long boats. Will grabbed her left arm as she stumbled to prevent her from falling into the water.

'Just gotta regain your land-legs, Miss. Sparrow,' muttered Gibbs, getting out of the second long boat and helping Liz out of the first.

'Oh, you say that like it's a simple thing,' Tara sighed, leaning on a nearby barrel and straightening her cloak and silver fast.

Jack finished tying the second boat up and turned to the crew that had come with them. 'Back 'ere in an hour gents … and ladies … if your not, we'll leave without you.' Tara glanced up, the sun was already disappearing behind the horizon, it'd be dark in fifteen minutes.

With that, they separated, leaving Tara, Will, Liz and Jack alone on the dock. There was a moments, awkward (or was it confused?) silence.

'Now what?' Tara asked blankly

Jack looked back at her curiously, then seemed to come to some sort of conclusion and said, ' 'S time I showed you the sights and sounds of Tortuga.'

Several loud gunshots came from the streets in the settlements, and Liz, (who, as we all know, had never been there before) glanced back nervously.

'Was that one of the usual sounds?' she asked suspiciously.

Will nodded. 'Yes, although, you should probably be hearing a few more in a moment.' As soon as he'd finished, more gunshots, sounding somewhat like a machine gun went of in the same area.

He nodded again, smartly, then offered his arm to an unnerved Elizabeth and led the way. Tara watched them pass, looking completely confused, her brow furrowed. Jack took her by the wrist and started after Will and Liz.

xXx

Tara glanced back as a man chased an elderly, and heavily made up woman down the street.

'Why do I keep getting the eerie feeling that I'm going to _die_?' she asked, sounding sarcastically overdramatic.

'Nah, you're safe, luv,' Jack muttered, loud enough for her to hear him. She wasn't entirely convinced as she followed the process of a horse dragging a man down the street in a noose, the rider laughing manically.

'To a certain extent,' she muttered back, unable to keep an amused smile off her face.

'Well unless you're a whore or-,' Jack stopped short. Tara stopped a second later upon realising he was no longer beside her. She turned to see him about a metre back, eyeing her curiously.

'What?' she asked over the noise.

'You're not a whore, are ya?'

She scowled at him. 'Ha, ha, hilarious.'

'What's the hold up?' Liz called from ahead. She and Will doubled back.

'Jack thinks I'm for sale,' Tara teased.

Jack grinned guiltily. 'Never know.'

'Are you?' asked a voice from behind them.

Tara turned in surprise to the newcomer. 'Clarice!' The woman pulled her into a tight hug, nothing on Elizabeth's mind you.

'How are you my child? You're so much taller than I last saw you, then again, I last saw you yesterday for your fifth birthday, I can tell you, you are a lot taller. How old are you now?' Clarice said this very fast, having not noticed the others standing behind her, then she froze her eyes on Jack. 'Oh my goodness…' She swore loudly, 'What are you doing here!'

Jack rolled his eyes. 'Hello t' you too, Clarice.'

Tara didn't make much of this. 'Well, considering you two seem to know each other well, Will and Elizabeth, meet Clarice.' She waved at the woman hopelessly.

Clarice wasn't listening. She looked at Tara sternly. 'Tara, do you know who this man is?'

Tara glanced at Jack then looked back at Clarice, completely blankly. 'Do you?'

Clarice opened her mouth to answer but stopped short, realising she'd given herself away. She threw a dirty look at Jack, then turned to Tara, 'Perhaps we should talk about this … out of the public eye?'

**Boogers**

**FINE! But only coz they won!**_**  
**_

_**Cheer, Cheer, the Red and the White,  
Honour the name, by day and by night;  
Lift that noble banner high,  
Shake down the thunder from the sky.  
What though the odds be great, or small,  
Swans will go in and win over all;  
While her loyal sons are marching  
Onward to Victory.**_


	24. Back to the Brig

**Disclaimer: Disclaimer are fun-ny ...**

**For those of you who don't remember Clarice, she's been mentioned in several chapters, not that I remember what those are... **

'You were supposed to stay away!'

'Stay away? I didn' know what t' stay away from!'

Tara rested her head in her hand, her elbow on the table in the Captains Quarters. Clarice had given her a new bag of clothes (which was now by the door) before very reluctantly accepting to go aboard the _Pearl_. Now she and Jack were yelling at each other as though she wasn't in the room. Liz looked at her piteously and Will had a smile playing on his face.

'You were never around!' snapped Clarice.

'I didn' know what t' stay 'round for either, no one even told me she'd been born!' Jack retorted.

'You wouldn't have stayed if you'd known!'

' 'course I would've, she's _my_ daughter!'

She may have been a small woman, but she knew how to argue. 'Like that would have mattered. You're a pirate, you were marooned from what I've heard!'

Jack could match that. 'Maybe I wouldn't 'ave been if she'd been with me!'

'So you're using her as bargain-ship now!'

'I'm statin' fact!'

'Alright, that's it, she's coming with me!' Clarice barked furiously.

'Over my dead body!' Jack replied.

'That can be arranged.'

Tara lowered her hand. 'Um, pardon me?' Jack and Clarice quietened and stared at her. 'Not to be rude,' Tara continued, 'but if you two are gonna argue like eight years olds and treating me like I'm a bad case of cooties, you may as well get the idea of my staying with either of you out of your heads.'

They stayed silent and glanced at each other, knowing she was right.

'Thankyou,' Tara perked, 'now if you'd like to ask, I'll make the decision.'

'Alright. Would you like to come with me,' said Clarice heavily, 'or stay with him.' She stressed the word "him" as though she were talking about the plague.

'It's kind of you both to offer, but Clarice you spend your life travelling through time, moving from place to place, I've lived that life, I didn't like it,' Tara turned to Jack, 'and Jack I barely know you, there's a slight problem in that.'

'So …' Jack pressed.

'So, I'm going to stay in Port Royal.'

Liz looked at her in surprise. 'Really?'

'Sure, why not? I've got enough money to buy myself a place to live.'

Jack nodded in agreement. 'Well, now tha's settled,' he said as a final remark. He turned to Clarice but stopped short. The woman was gone, with no trace of her even been there.

'Where'd she go?' Jack said curiously, turning to the others. None of them had even noticed her leave.

'She does that,' Tara said simply, 'probably went to report to mom. Or Bordeaux.'

'Bordeaux?' Liz echoed blankly.

They all jumped as a loud bang came from outside.

'What was that?' asked Will standing up. Jack frowned and started outside; Liz, Will and Tara followed him curiously. It was dark, the lanterns had blown out and the group stepped forward uncertainly.

'Good evening,' said a painfully familiar voice from the darkness. Captain Cross stepped forward, flanked by her crew.

'Crap,' Tara hissed. Jack glanced back to find the door to the Captains Quarters blocked by several more of the _Wanderer's_ crew.

'Cross,' he said, stalling for time as he desperately thought of a plan, 't' what do we owe the displeasure?'

Cross laughed. 'Very amusing Jack, actually Tara left in such a hurry, I really didn't get to carry out the rest of my plan.'

At that, Jack took Tara's arm and pulled her toward him. The look on Cross's face changed from mild amusement, to anger.

'What are you, protecting her now?' Cross snapped. 'As I recall, you couldn't get rid of her fast enough.'

Tara felt her blood boil. It was all she could do to prevent herself from attacking the older woman before her, but Jack was holding her arm tightly.

Will tensed, noticing the look in Tara's eye. 'What do you want?' he said firmly.

Cross's eyes gleamed in the darkness. 'Oh, wouldn't you like to know.' She looked at Tara curiously. 'What's the matter kid? Hate it when someone else has a secret? We can't all be as _trusting_ as you what with your father selling you out and all.'

Jack grabbed Tara around the waist to prevent her from launching herself at Cross. 'Don' tempt 'em luv,' he hissed in her ear. He kept a tight hold on her cloak.

'Look at him, giving her orders!' Cross turned to her crew. 'Put them in the Brig,' she paused, 'in _their_ Brig.'

The four were dragged through the ship. When they arrived in the Brig, Tara wasn't surprised to see that the rest of the crew had been stuffed into one of the two cells. She, Jack, Will and Liz were locked in the other.

As Cross's crew left, Tara sighed. 'Back to square one it is.'

**Hi , review, please. Especially if you don't review often, I'd like to know whether you're reading this for the hell of it or if you actually like it**.


	25. Tara's Place

**Disclaimer: Ad breaks for the short attention span, No- Look! A little birdieee!**

'These people really should find something better to do.'

'An' you really outta control your temper.'

They'd been in the Brig of the _Pearl _for an hour now, during which barely anything was said. Now Tara was bored and Jack felt it was time to tell her off.

'And how would you like me to do that when that – that – that – HAG, for lack of a more offensive term, is purposely driving me to the brink of homicidal tendencies!'

Jack leaned back on the wall next to her as she made a strangling motion in the air.

'You've a'ready got homicidal tendencies, need I remind you of your little … "weapons supply" at the bottom of your bag?' Jack replied glancing at Will in the furthest corner of the cell. Liz was leaning on his shoulder watching Tara and Jack wearily, but with a slight smile on her face.

'No, you needn't,' Tara muttered back, 'and let's keep our voices down, the last thing we need is for them to find a murder blade and a bunch of daggers.' She stretched her legs out before her and crossed them at the ankles.

'You talk 'bout them as though they're flowers,' said Anna from across the room.

'Well I've never gotten flowers, so forgive me for doing that!' Tara snapped.

'Haven't you had a thousand men at your feet before?' Liz asked curiously. 'You said you had, surely at least _one_ of them gave you flowers.'

Tara wrinkled her nose. 'Yeah, right, like a bunch of dead men would suddenly rise from the dead to go out and find me flowers in the middle of the war … I don't think so!'

'A thousand _dead_ men at your feet!' said Liz in shock. 'Where were you? A slaughter house!'

'Please … they were the bad guys,' Tara muttered, shifting slightly as though it were an uncomfortable subject, 'they tried to attack our camp, but Master Jin wouldn't have it so he sent out our army.'

'You trained with an army?' asked Jack incredously.

'I'll tell you the story sometime,' Tara said simply. 'Besides, the point is, if I do have temper control issues, it's for a good reason.' There was a sudden silence as someone came done the stairs.

'Oi! You two, Sparrows!' It was Bullet. 'The Capt'n wants a word with ye!' He unlocked the door and stood back, waiting for Jack and Tara.

Jack stood first and offered Tara a hand. She sighed and took it, raising herself from the floor. As they left the cell Bullet prodded her painfully in the back.

'Ow! What was that for!' she cried angrily.

'For whackin' me on the head with that damn bottle!' Bullet spat.

'Oh, well, I'm sorry I managed to give you a _concussion_,' Tara said clearly, 'I was really aiming for a more, _brain damage_ angle … Ouch!' He'd prodded her again.

' 'Ey, leave the girl alone!' shouted several of the crewmembers. At that moment, Tara had decided to stomp on Bullet's foot with the heel of her Stiletto boot. He squealed like a girl and grabbed his foot, jumping up and down in pain.

'What's goin' on down there!' Another crewmember of the _Wanderer_ had appeared at the foot of the stairs looking at the scene apprehensively.

Bullet continued to hop on one foot, swearing and muttering under his breath. Jack quickly wiped the entertained grin from his face and glanced at Tara who'd done the same. Without a further fuss, Bullet and the newbie took them upstairs.

xXx

'Come in, sit down.' Cross used the same cheery voice that she had when she spoke to the two of them the first time.

Jack took his seat at the table in the Captains Quarters and Tara sat beside him, watching Cross mistrustfully.

'Come now, Tara, why the suspicion?' Cross asked, reading her mind.

Tara's eyes narrowed. 'What do you want? You've got the pendant, and the treasure, what more do you need?'

'I'll tell you what I didn't need,' Cross said politely, 'I didn't need the pendant, or the treasure, they were just … a bonus.'

'Bonus t' what?' Jack asked.

A sinister smile appeared on Cross's face. 'You know Tara, your place in this goes deeper than you think … much deeper.'

Tara frowned. 'My place in what?'

'In my plan,' Cross continued, 'you see, four years after your birth, I was seeking a place on the crew of your father's ship, the famous and marvellous_ Black Pearl_. He didn't give it to me. He betrayed me, he rejected me, and I thought, "why not repay the favour?" So, some time after that, I commissioned my own ship, which, believe it or not, is sailing alongside this one, and I thought, it'd be enough. But it wasn't, and one night, about four years ago now, I stumbled across a group of people in a tavern, small place, that tavern. They were talking about a fire, one in which a man died. Apparently, his wife and child survived. The wife's name was Holly Swann.'

Tara sat up a little straighter at the mention of her mother's name.

'I thought that odd,' Cross continued, 'the name was so familiar and for, almost two years, I pondered over it. Then one day it came to me. Holly Swann, was the arranged wife of one Jack Sparrow.'

At this Cross looked at Jack, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Tara's mouth fell open at the revelation. So that was the issue!

Cross started speaking again. 'But the wedding never happened, did it Jack? A month before the date, Jack Sparrow was called away to America, his parents passed away. Before leaving, Jack Sparrow gave Holly a gift, a pendant, of a diamond and pearl, and a black pearl, at that.

'He intended to return and marry his love before the years end, but all didn't go as planned. Instead, he returned a year and a half later only to find that the woman he'd left was now a mother. Believing the child wasn't his, he left Holly to seek his fortune elsewhere, so he commissioned a ship, and named it the _Black Pearl_ …

'But the child was his, and this I found out. I also discovered that the girl's mother had died as a result of her injures in the fire two years prior, and that the girl was to be sent away to Kingston to live with her Aunt. Then I realised something, the girl must have the pendant, by now, she _must_ know who her _true_ father was. All I had to do was follow her and she'd lead me straight to him. And she did. We arrived in Kingston, just in time to see them together, but something was wrong … she could see the _Wanderer_. She wasn't meant to …'

There Cross paused to take in the effect of her words and take a breath. She commenced once more. 'This wouldn't work, we couldn't take her then and there,' she looked at Jack, 'you'd just found out who she was and we therefore doubted whether you'd go after her if she was kidnapped, so we waited. Two long years we waited, until finally the time came. We took the girl and made it seem that it was only in interest of the pendant; you fell right into our trap.

'You became attached; sure it may have taken a while, but you did. You started thinking of the girl as your daughter, and soon, there'd be nothing you wouldn't do. Do you understand now?'

Tara said nothing; she sat still letting the truth sink in. But Jack spoke up. 'Seems t' me you're jus' givin' us a history lesson.'

Cross nodded. 'Perhaps Tara wanted to know the truth. For sixteen years she waited for it. I know what it's like, waiting for something you so desperately desire, and I've been working for so long to acquire it. Now infamous, but it's better that way, because I waited for _twelve_ long, exhausting years to obtain it … this …'

Something in Tara's mind clicked into place, and it rang through her head like the beating of a hammer. 'The _Black Pearl_,' she said in realisation her voice rising, 'you waited for twelve years, just to get the _Pearl_!'

'Yes, and now I have it,' Cross said with pride, she turned to Jack, 'and you didn't even put up a fight because you thought I was out for your _precious_ daughter.' She cackled in a witch-like way then a serious look returned to her face and she turned to Tara. 'Your father owes me.'

Tara glared at the woman, ignoring the horrible sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. 'My father owes you nothing.'

Cross's eyes narrowed. 'Bullet! Stephens! Get them out of my sight …'

**The disclaimer was meant to say NoVa!**

**Kaaaat, I won't rest till you write me a very looonnnnng review!**

**I like Shine, it's not by Shannon Noll, it's a remake.**


	26. Pieces

**Disclaimer: We play more music than, stations that play...less music...92.9  
**

**There's a few lines in this chapter that are from a song. Take a stab at guessing which one, you never will...Muahaha!**

Tara was shoved roughly back into the cell. Bullet closed and locked the door, then, with a grunt, he stomped off up the stairs. Everyone was silent, they had all risen to their feet as Jack and Tara had entered, in hope of hearing what had happened, but Jack hadn't turned around, still staring at the boarded wall with his back to his daughter.

After a moment of staring at his back, Tara found she could no longer bear his silence. 'Please say something.'

Nothing

'What happened?' Liz asked softly, not expecting an answer.

She didn't get one.

'Jack? I'm sorry … if it helps …' Tara trailed off. He didn't answer, but turned, his expression impassive he sat on the floor and pulled his hat low over his face.

'They're not gonna do anythin' t'night,' he muttered, 'best rest up, nothin' else t' do.'

Tara couldn't hide her disappointment, but she threw a warning look at Liz who had opened her mouth to argue. The crew realised they wouldn't be getting any answers, not tonight at least, so they settled down.

One by one, the occupants in the Brig fell into slumber until only two were left awake. Tara couldn't sit down. She paced the small cell but stopped when she noticed Liz and Will had fallen asleep. She leaned on the cell door and stared at her father. He wasn't asleep, she could tell because his breathing was strained, she'd been taught to notice the little things in China.

'I know you're awake,' Tara paused but received no answer, 'Jack?' She kept her voice low so as not to wake the crew, 'Jack?'

He looked up at her and she froze in horror. The look in his eyes wasn't anger, it wasn't hate, it was the deepest loathing anyone could feel for a person.

'You cost me everythin',' he hissed up at her, 'my ship, my wife, my freedom, my life, now maybe even my crew and friends, all coz you're 'ere.' He lowered his face and said no more.

An hour later he was asleep and Tara finally let herself slide to the floor. She suddenly felt hollow. Empty. She didn't sleep that night, she couldn't.

xXx

'Wake up you lot!'

Tara jumped. She'd been dozing when the rival pirates arrived. A dozen at most, they were already tying most of the _Pearl's_ original crew up.

Tara stood hurriedly and glanced at Jack, suddenly believing that what he'd said to her the past night was all a horrible dream.

It wasn't. He didn't look at her as he stood up and straightened his hat. Not even a glance as they were tied up, not even a glimpse as they were taken to the decks.

There, Tara was surprised to see that they'd been brought back to the island on the map in her pendant where the treasure had been hidden. She could just see Cross on the beach, waiting with several of her crewmembers by two of the long boats. When they arrived on the beach in the others, Cross looked from Tara to Jack and smirked in the obvious way of telling them that she knew what was going on. She didn't say anything and led the way to a divide in the face of one of the tall cliffs.

Tara hadn't noticed it before, and with good reason, it was well hidden, covered with ivy and surrounded with trees. They walked through the dark caves for almost an hour and a half in complete silence until they reached their apparent destination, a chamber with smooth walls and a dark pit of water, only about two metres in diameter, in the middle. On the walls were dozens of arm and leg holds. Cross stood at the entrance to the chamber, a look of satisfaction on her face. She nodded to her group of henchmen and with a final look at the crew and Captain of the _Pearl, _swept out of the chamber. A moment later, her remaining crew started locking their captives in place.

'Torture chamber?' Tara asked, eyeing them with suspicion.

'Death chamber,' one of them corrected, 'the water level will rise.' He locked Will, the last, in place and started out.

'So why'd you leave me!' Tara questioned. She was still standing at the edge of the pit of water with her hands tied behind her back. She glanced at Jack again, but he looked back at her with empty eyes.

Bullet turned and peered at her with sinister grin on his face. 'Because,' he said simply, stepping toward her, 'you're first.' With that he shoved her hard. She fell back, plunging into the dark pit and sinking into the darkness.

'Tara!' Liz cried as she fell.

Bullet laughed and hurried out of the chamber. Several moments later there was an ear-splitting explosion and bits of rock flew everywhere as the entrance to the chamber collapsed. The burning torch, which had been left as the only source of light, wavered, but didn't go out. As the dust settled, the occupants of the chamber stared at the pool of water awaiting the surface one of their own.

Will looked desperately at Jack on his right. _Please, feel something, anything!_

Jack stared at the pool, blinking the dust from his eyes. A third of him wished that she really _was_ gone, but the rest was praying that she be safe.

'Come on,' he muttered through gritted teeth, 'come up, come up …'

xXx

Tara gasped as she fell. The water was freezing. She didn't float to the surface; she hadn't taken in any air. Above, she faintly heard something explode, but didn't pay any notice. The water was much deeper than she'd thought.

_There has to be a way_ she thought _there has to be some – yes!_

Her dagger was still in her ankle holster. She twisted and turned and pulled it out, and, sinking further, she sliced through the ropes binding her hands together. Feeling like she was going to burst, she started for the surface. It seemed so far away and her body burned with pain. Air was just out of her reach, right beyond her fingertips. She was growing weak; she could feel her consciousness ebbing away. Then, somewhere (though she wasn't sure where) she heard a frantic voice: _Come on, come up, come up, …_

Tara pushed herself forward with a surge of strength and broke the surface, gasping.

'You alright!' called Will from his binds.

She didn't answer, crawling onto the cold ground and falling onto her back. She couldn't see, everything hurt and she was shaking terribly. She lay still breathing in the precious air.

Nobody said anything, until after almost ten minutes Tara muttered, 'Lights, there are lights up there …'

'What lights? Up where, Tara?' Will tried to lean forward but failed. The teenager stared up but didn't answer.

'She's delirious,' Jack muttered.

'I am not,' Tara spat, still not getting up, 'there are really lights up there, they're moving.'

Jack snorted. 'Yeah, tha's believable.' His head told him she needed to be punished, but the rest of him protested that she'd done nothing to be punished for. Needless to say, the head won.

'Wait …' Tara trailed, ignoring him, 'they aren't lights, they – they're mirrors …'

'What!' exclaimed Liz. 'How is that possible?' She looked across Will to Jack. 'Is that possible?'

'Who cares?' Jack said in reply. 'We're gonna die anyway.'

'What does that mean?' asked Anna from across the room, Cotton's parrot, who had perched himself on Cotton's shoulder next to her, stirred uncomfortably. 'Captain Jack Sparrow doesn't – just – give up!'

'Do you see a better option?' Jack questioned smartly.

'I do,' Tara perked, standing up and wringing the water from her cloak off, 'I can get you out of those manacles.'

'And how _exactly_ would you do that?' Jack said with mock curiosity. 'Call on a fairy? Your daggers won' fit in these keyholes!'

Tara listened to him patiently while digging through her pants pockets. 'True, about my dagger I mean, actually, it's a Malayan Kris … but I have something better …'

Jack raised an eyebrow, doubtfully. 'Oh, and what's that?'

Tara finally found what she was looking for and extracted them from her pocket. 'Keys.'

**Hee, hee . I've finished writing this story, should there be a sequel?**


	27. Discoveries

**Disclaimer: Stop using me for disclaimers!**

**Yes people, it has finally happened, I let my little sister do my hair. What's the problem with that, you ask? She's six people, six. I tell you, the last time I was in this much pain was when I was at the orthodontists, getting my braces. Ow, ow, OW! **

**PS- The song in the last chapter was in fact Pieces by Hoobastank:**

_The water was much deeper than she'd thought:_

**I like a rock sink, sinking till I hit the bottom,**

**The water is much deeper than I thought…**

_Air was just out of her reach, right beyond her fingertips:_

**And I can almost breath the air, right beyond my fingertips,**

**I'll turn around and pick up the pieces…**

**xxxxxxxx  
**

Jack stared at her in shock. 'Where'd you get keys!'

Tara rolled her eyes. 'Key city, the point is _those_ are skeleton locks and _these_ are skeleton keys so logically, it's much easier to pick skeleton locks with skeleton keys, and if you got all that you're really a very smart pirate.'

'Well, it's worth a shot,' said Will, 'as long as you know what you're doing … you do know what you're doing?'

Tara didn't answer, she'd found a key small enough to fit into the locks and moved to Liz. A moment later, there was a loud click and a sliding sound. Liz stumbled forward, rubbing her wrists but looking impressed.

'Impressive,' said Anna from the other end of the chamber.

'Mm, told you to trust me,' Tara said appraisingly as Liz took the keys and started releasing the others (she seemed to be having fun with that particular job), 'now what?'

Jack rubbed his injured forearm as he stepped away from the wall. 'We've gotta get outta 'ere…'

'Yes,' Tara muttered nodding, 'but you see the slight problem with that is the question of _how_.'

'Well if you're such a genius perhaps you'd like t' field tha' one,' Jack snapped in reply.

Tara opened her mouth to snap back, but then, as if from nowhere, an idea formed in her head. She glanced up. 'Perhaps I would.'

The occupants of the chamber followed her gaze to the ceiling. She'd been right, there _were_ mirrors up there. They reflected the firelight of the torch dancing and flickering as the fire did. Only then did they realise that the mirrors caused the access light. It was far too bright in that chamber for a single torch.

'Looks like Tara was right …' Anna murmured, looking at Jack pointedly.

Tara glanced at them, suppressing a laugh. She turned and started for the caved-in entrance.

'What're ye doing?' asked one of the lesser-known crewmembers.

Tara started looking for a secure rock on which to start climbing. 'Bearing as the water is probably coming from the bottom of that pit, there's no way we'll be able to reach it before we drown, and the fact is, we won't be able to move these rocks before the water level rises, so,' (she found a sturdy rock and used Gibbs' shoulder as a climbing support), 'we have nowhere to go, but up.'

The crew looked up uncertainly, Jack alone was watching Tara apprehensively.

'I'm guessing those mirrors didn't just fly up there,' Tara finished, climbing up several more rocks and searching for a handhold. She lifted herself onto a particularly large rock and froze. 'Wow.'

'What?' asked Will stepping forward curiously.

In a single, swift movement, Tara hoisted herself into a sitting position on a ledge above the smooth walls. She pointed to her left. 'Stairs. Behind those rocks there.'

'Well, what are we waiting for?' Liz said in the silence.

So they started climbing, and luckily so, as soon as the last crewmember (who very unwillingly, ended up being Anna-Maria) the water in the pit overflowed and stared filling the chamber.

Tara, being the smallest, lightest, and discoverer, led the group, with difficulty as she point blank refused to take off her heels, followed by Jack, who seemed to think she'd lead them into something they wouldn't be able to get out of, then Will and Liz, who had taken it upon themselves to keep Jack from pushing Tara into the chamber below although they didn't really think he'd do anything so mean, and the rest. They had dragged along the torch to provide light, which was frequently in Jack's possession.

The ledge was narrow and slippery, and in some cases, fragile. The stairs were steep and uneven. That was the process; once around the chamber, up the stairs, once around the chamber, up the stairs, until they were almost twenty metres up, and the ceiling still seemed too far away.

'Oh, yeah, great idea,' Jack said sarcastically so only Tara could hear him, ' "go up" you said, how far "up" can we go?'

'Well it's got to stop somewhere,' Tara muttered in reply, stepping over a jutting out rock, 'it's not like it goes on forever.'

Jack was silent for a moment, looking down at the darkness below. He could see the light reflecting in the seawater. 'So wha's the story?' he said finally.

'What story?' Tara questioned, testing a rock for stability.

'Trainin' with an army.'

'Oh, that …' Tara left the sentence hanging.

'Well?' Jack pressed.

'Um, well, I was running from the bounty hunters so I got on a ship, I didn't know that ship was heading for China see. When I got there, I didn't know what to do, then I ran into Master Jin, he took me in, which not many people would be willing to do in those days -,'

' "In those days"?' Jack echoed curiously.

'China was at war with Mongolia … erm … again, anyone could have been a spy, it was a secret war. Anyway, Master Jin took me to the camp where he trained soldiers and spies … and … ah …' she faltered as if struggling to find the right words.

'And?'

'And … assassins.'

Jack was silent, letting the information seep in. 'Oh.'

Tara nodded. 'Oh. Originally, I wasn't supposed to learn anything, I was just there to wait for the next available passage out, but then, the ships stopped coming, and Mongolia started their invasion. Master Jin started training me privately, of course, if anyone had known a female was learning the arts, well, let's just say, it wouldn't be pretty. He had two requests, one, that I'd help them fight should the need arise, and two … that I'd … have to part with my hair so I'd look more like a man …'

Jack couldn't suppress a snort of laughter that almost made him drop the torch. Behind him, the crew made scrutinised noises.

'I'm sorry, luv,' Jack said through his laughs as Tara had stopped to glare at him furiously, 'I jus' can' imagine you as a man …'

Tara raised a curious eyebrow. 'You didn't want a son?'

Jack stopped laughing immediately.

'Better. Back to the story,' Tara muttered, 'about four months into my visit, they attacked the camp, and like I said, Master Jin wouldn't have it, he sent out our army. I wasn't part of that army so I watched, it was … really bad …' She paused and swallowed, 'I only had to go out once, near the end, to assist Master Jin on his mission to deliver the troops to the General in the mountains. We were almost there … it was night … we passed a village, or what was left of it … and then there were arrows …' she trailed off again, 'only half the troops made it out alive, and half of them were severely injured. A month later, the General arranged a secret passage from China, which was for Master Jin, the surviving troops and me. The ship took us to an island about two days sail from La Romana where there was a Chinese settlement.'

'An' you left,' Jack finished for her.

'And I left,' Tara agreed, 'hey …' She had stopped moving and was running her hand over something on the rocks above her head. 'We're almost there.'

' 'Ow do you know?' Jack questioned.

She took his hand and raised it to where hers had been a moment before. Jack felt something rough and thin, almost like rope but harder.

'Roots …' he muttered.

Tara nodded and started forward again, holding the roots for support. The next second, there was crumbling sound and the rocks below her feet gave way. She was falling forward. Jack grabbed her arm and pulled her back, almost dropping the torch in the process.

'Alrighty, there's a jump,' Tara murmured regaining her balance and composure, she glanced at Jack who promptly released her arm, 'thanks.'

'Don' mention it,' he replied softly. Again he'd saved her life.

'Everythin' a'right up there?' came a startled voice from below.

'Peachy,' Tara called down the line. She looked back at the now collapsed ledge and noticed something interesting. The two metres had fallen, but beyond that, there was a solid rock and only a metre or so of path. Furthermore, she noticed an opening in the rock from the final metre of the ledge. Without warning, she stepped back and leapt forward, easily landing onto the leftover ledge.

'What the 'ell are you doin'?' Jack said in surprise as she landed, her cloak billowing around her.

She straightened up and stared into the opening, which was pitch black. She glanced at Jack. 'Throw me the torch.'

'What is wrong with you!' Jack asked her blankly.

Tara raised an eyebrow. 'Do you remember the last time you asked me that was because you thought I was hallucinating and seeing white ships? There's nothing wrong with me, there never was. Please, just trust me.'

Jack looked at the torch miserably, knowing she was right. He tossed it across the gap and she caught it in one hand.

'Stay there,' she instructed before stepping into the gap between the rocks. She didn't have to go far. There was only about five metres of a narrow passage, then it widened into another chamber. It was very small, three by three in Tara's opinion, and a giant boulder took up a large portion of it.

For a moment, Tara felt her heart sink in disappointment. She may have well led her father and friends to their deaths, then, as she looked behind the boulder, she froze. Concealed there, between it and the wall, was a door.

Tara stared at it. It was oak, with intricate carvings around the edges. It was writing of some kind, she couldn't read it. There was a rusty doorknob but no keyhole. She pulled and pushed it but it wouldn't open. Then she spotted something on either side of the door. Brackets and a metal torch. She moved her own torch into it and it flamed into life. She placed the wooden torch into the empty bracket and stood back, gazing at the door.

xXx

Jack stared at the other side of the ledge as the firelight flickered and dancing in the opening, there was a sudden brightness in the light as though it had magnified.

'Jack?' came a quiet voice from the darkness beside him, Elizabeth.

'Mm?' he murmured.

'Do you think she'll stay?'

Jack was slightly taken aback but didn't get a chance to answer the question, as, at that moment, there came a loud _thud_ from the opening in the rock through which his daughter had disappeared a few moments earlier. There was a second's silence then a soft "ow!" echoed from the opening followed by a series of frustrated profanities.

Jack rolled his eyes. 'You think she's tryin' t' kill 'erself?' he asked to no one in particular before jumping across the gap to the opening. He started forward, moving toward the firelight and heard Liz, Will and the others following. They reached the slightly larger chamber, and for a moment, Tara wasn't visible. A second later she flew through the air and crashed (apparently) into the solid rock behind the boulder. There was a noise of splintering wood and a hollow banging sound as if something heavy had fallen.

Tara sat up. She had landed heavily on the ground after kicking the door. Jack hurried forward to help her up.

'What're you doin'?' he said with a half laugh, not noticing the opening at his side.

She leapt to her feet, a triumphant look on her face. 'Ha HA! Take that you stupid door, you can't beat me!'

Jack turned and stared. The oak door was on the ground having been kicked off its hinges. Beyond it, there was a sandstone-coloured wall, with a matching oak finish. The finish was covered in the same carvings as the wall and was extremely dusty. The door had opened into a corridor, which veered to the left, as there was nothing on the right of the doorway.

'Oh my …' Liz whispered, gazing at the door.

Tara was still grinning. 'Told you I'd get us out, come on.' She passed the wooden torch to Will, grabbed the metal one and hurried through the entrance.

Jack glanced back at Will for a moment before turning and hastening after her.

They walked on for several moments before the corridor turned right where it opened into a vast room.

'What's are room like this doing here?' said Will and Gibbs in unison.

Tara shook her head, noticing something on the other side of the room. 'This isn't just a room … it's a cathedral.'

**What do you think? What do you expect? Review!**


	28. The Chamber of the Chapel

**Disclaimer: What he said.**

Tara couldn't help but stare. In all her life she'd never seen anything so heartbreaking. The cathedral showed signs of once being a magnificent building with tall, arched, stained-glass windows, shallow stairs with now chipped tiles lead to a platform upon which stood a chipped and dusty altar with a broken leg.

There was a gothic style in the architecture, mixed with something unrecognizable. Above the platform rose the steeple, the huge, cone-shaped top decorated with beautiful paintings and mosaics of angels and heaven. An inch-thick layer of dust lay on the floor, which dozen of footsteps had broken. There were broken tables and benches lying on the ground. Perhaps the scariest and most disturbing thing was what stood on a podium in the far corner. A cross.

Judging by the chains above it, it had once hung above the podium. Apparently it had fallen with such force that it cracked through the limestone and was stuck, vertical and frightening.

Tara started forward, through the debris and dust. 'Wonder what happened here …' she murmured, more to her self than anyone. She turned to look back at the others, who were dispersing throughout the room. Behind her, Jack had crouched down and picked up an old and damaged Bible. He closed it carefully and placed it on an unbroken part of the bench nearby.

'Looks like, a hurricane …' Liz trailed off, staring up at the cross. 'Whoa …'

Will shook his head. 'They've looted it, look,' he pointed to the stone floor where footprints had broken the dust.

'They didn't find anythin' though,' murmured Gibbs from beneath the windows, 'they said so before ye lot were caught.'

'I's a church, what would they find?' Jack said, wandering over to the main platform beneath the steeple. Tara, meanwhile, drifted away from the main room. She noticed a passageway behind the plinth that should have bore a statue of the Virgin Mary. The sounds of voices became quieter as she walked deeper and deeper to the rooms in the back of the building.

_This must have been the sleeping quarters_, she thought, holding her torch up high. She pushed open a door to her left, which, to her surprise, swung open easily. Beyond it was a tiny room. It contained only a two-legged, bed frame, a wooden dresser and a bedside table. The draws of the dresser and table had been pulled out and the contents spilled all over the floor.

Tara stepped into the room and an object on the floor caught her attention. She bent down to examine it more closely. It was a ring. She picked it up and looked around for somewhere to place her torch. Having found a bracket on the wall on the wall by the door, she blew some dust off the bedside table and sat down on it. She raised the ring into the light and wiped the dust and grime off the surface revealing a gold band and a seal of purple stone.

In fact, it wasn't just any seal, it was a coat of arms, but before she got a closer look, she was distracted by a loud crumbling sound further down the dark corridor. Her heart skipped a few beats as she was overcome by the fear of the ceiling caving in. The vision of Gregory Bell's last moments flashed before her eyes as she jumped off the table and pocketed the ring in haste. She stood still for a few minutes, listening. To her relief, there was nothing but silence; still, she was overpowered by the feeling of curiosity and started down the corridor outside the room towards the sound, moving further and further away from her companions and the other room.

As she reached the end of the corridor, the rooms disappeared and she had nothing left to see but a wall with a single torch bracket on it.

'Dammit,' she muttered staring at the sandstone-coloured wall as though she expected it to move out of the way. She sighed when it didn't and turned on her heel, falling back against it. She ran her fingers through her hair before remembering the ring was still in her pocket. Reaching across, she deposited the torch in the bracket beside her and started reaching for her pocket, only to leap back upon hearing the crumbling sound again.

This time it was right behind her and as she spun around to stare at the wall again, she was shocked to find that it was indeed moving out of the way. The bracket had moved down and the wall was moving back like a door to reveal the rest of the corridor.

'Why would they have needed a secret passage?' she asked herself. Glancing back, Tara decided that there was really nowhere to go but forward and started into the passage. It was similar to the corridor before it, but instead of sandstone, the walls were more like what you'd find in a medieval castle. Cold, smooth stones placed one on top of the other and supported here and there with ash timber.

About ten metres in, the passage opened into another chamber, which, unlike the first, had no windows. It was only slightly smaller and was filled with items that almost made Tara drop the torch in shock. These were unlike anything that should ever be found in a chapel.

It was a weapons cache.

Swords and axes adorned the walls; indescribable weaponry of every size, shape and origin littered the room.

Tara took a tentative step forward her head numb. She bent down to examine a canon made of a dark and thick wood she didn't recognise. Next to it was a steel chest, the heavy lid of which, was slightly open. She glanced around and spotted torches in brackets on the walls. After lighting them, she returned to the chest and heaved the lid up further. Inside was a long, shiny Chinese sword.

As she leant forward eagerly, Tara noticed something move out of the corner of her eye. She straightened up immediately.

'Hello?' she called, her voice echoing through the chamber. Silence. After a moment she looked back down at the sword curiously, wondering whether she'd just seen a flash of flame. _CLANG!_ This time she was sure she wasn't hallucinating. A large, heavy cannonball rolled past the gap in the pathway behind her. To the left of the path was an excellent hiding place, behind several large crates and out of her view.

Tara wasn't alone.

**Oogy, boogy! Only Six chapters left!**


	29. Saved

**Disclaimer: Rasberries!  
**

**These next few chappies are relatively short.  
**

'Who's there?'

Again, there was no answer.

Tara could hear her heart pounding in her ears. She took a step back and, while doing so, she swiftly pulled the sword from the chest, raising it in the air before her.

'Who's there!' she repeated, louder this time, stronger. She jumped slightly as a loud _thud _echoed behind her. She spun around, peering through the chamber but seeing nothing. Then, as though through the whisper of a guardian angel, she knew someone was coming up behind her and instead of turning again, she waited until she felt the air behind her ripple, grabbed absently over her shoulder, spun, and sent a man flying to the ground.

'You?' she breathed in realization. It was Hookes, his left shoulder badly wounded from a bullet. He looked infuriated. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, he was dirty and looked like he hadn't slept in days. In his right hand was a cutlass, in his left, a pistol.

He raised himself up and turned on her, breathing heavily, like an enraged bull. 'Little wretch,' he hissed, 'should've killed ya when I had the chance…'

He charged at her, but Tara was ready. She blocked his attack and kneed him in the stomach in one smooth action, but far from being displeased, Hookes charged at her again, this time getting the upper hand. He elbowed Tara in the stomach and she stumbled back, again the stack of crates. Before she could register it, he'd kicked her in the ribs and knocked her back. Her head hit the crates and she slid to the ground, stars before her eyes.

Hookes stepped toward her and raised the gun, in a sudden motion, Tara kicked out and toppled him over. She struggled to her feet, her ribs aching, and realized she no longer had the Chinese Sword, not that she could dwell as Hookes had raised himself and was moving forward again. He too had lost his cutlass. She kicked high but he caught her leg and spun it, causing her to lose her balance. In a stroke of genius, she anchored herself with her hands and kicked him square in the face with her other leg.

As she straightened up, she saw that she broken his jaw. He didn't seem bothered; in fact, he looked even scarier and angrier than he had before.

Her leg throbbed painfully where he'd twisted it, she could tell at least one of her ribs was either cracked or broken. Hookes glared at her for a split second, then, without the slightest warning he kicked a crate at her. She dodged it easily, but hadn't seen Hookes running at her, by the time she'd registered he was there it was too late. The force of his attack sent her sliding halfway across the chamber, into the stone wall opposite the entrance.

She lay still, fearing she may already be dead, but then realized from the pain, that she was in fact, very much alive. She moaned and started to rise, but through an exceptional wave of pain, realized it was a next to impossible task.

She started to use the wall for support and had sat up against it before noticing that Hookes was standing before her. He raised his gun and cocked it.

'Ti'e t' g' sweet'art,' he muttered, his speech barely audible through his broken jaw.

Tara stared down the barrel of the gun and noticed Hookes's hand tighten on the trigger.

Then, as though in a nightmare, Tara heard the shot, but through a haze, recognized it wasn't Hookes's. She blinked and looked up at him. His eyes were wider than they had been, his mouth open in shock, a second later, he fell to the ground almost soundlessly. Tara watched this happen, and then looked up. There, in the doorway, holding a smoking pistol, was her father.

'Jack,' she breathed softly.

He was watching her, his expression impassive. With a single glance at Hookes's body, he strode across the room and helped her to her feet then wordlessly supported her from the room grabbing a torch along the way.


	30. You Gave Me Everything

**Disclaimer: Strawberries!  
**

**I told you they were short**

Tara winced and bit her lower lip as they came out of the secret passage and back into the corridor of sandstone and oak. Another wave of pain washed over her and she doubled over, holding her ribs with her right arm. Jack held her left arm to keep her balanced.

'Jus' a little further, Tara,' he murmured reassuringly.

Tara looked up at him in surprise; he didn't often use her name.

'Put you in one of those bedrooms,' he muttered as though she'd thought he meant the main chamber. She nodded and straightened up, at least, as best she could.

Jack opened the first door they came across and they entered a bedroom, not unlike the one Tara had been in previously, only in this one, the dresser was in splinters and there was a mattress on the bed. Jack helped Tara onto the bed and lit the torch already in the bracket.

'Don' move, don' make it any worse,' he suggested as Tara winced again. He sat on the bed and watched her with an intent look on his face. 'You fight well kid.'

She gave him a pained grin. 'Should I take that as a compliment or are you about to throw in some criticism?'

Jack laughed but stopped as she gasped again. Her hand went to her ribs again but Jack stopped her.

'Where does it 'urt?' he asked. She gestured to her lower ribs on her left side and raised her top high enough for him to see. The area was a bluish, purple colour. Jack touched it cautiously and Tara flinched.

'Not broken,' he said, satisfied, 'cracked. The pain should settle in an hour or so.'

Tara straightened her shirt and closed her eyes, massaging her ribs gingerly. 'I wish I could say that helps, but …'

Jack nodded. 'Said the same thing myself.'

Tara opened her eyes in surprise. He was no longer looking at her; instead, he fiddled with the rings on his right hand. There was a moments silence, then Tara said, 'I'm sorry I cost you everything.'

Jack looked back at her, astounded, she avoided his eye. 'Nah, luv, 's my fault, I shouldn't've snapped at you. I'm sorry. You didn' cost me everythin', you gave me everythin'. Jus' wish I'd had the nerve t' notice it sooner...'

Tara looked at him curiously. 'Really?'

Jack nodded and gazed at her for a moment before clearing his throat. 'You gonna be a'right 'ere by yourself while I go tell the others you're still alive?'

Tara smiled and nodded. He stood and lifted the original torch from one of the brackets. She heard him moving away, down the corridor before his footsteps were swallowed by the eerie silence.

Tara lay back on the bed. Her back ached in protest but she didn't care, at that moment she couldn't be happier, then she remembered the ring in her pocket. She pulled out and raised it into the firelight, trying to see the purple stone.

The next thing she realised paled in comparison to the day's events, but was surprising nonetheless. She recognised the seal.

xXx

Jack sauntered out of the doorway behind the plinth.

'I know that look,' said the all-knowing voice of Elizabeth from the podium cracked by the cross. She strode across the room toward him, as Will looked up from one of the pews in front of the plinth.

'Did you find her?' he asked immediately.

Jack nodded. 'And one of Cross's crew.'

Liz's eyes grew wide. 'What?'

'Where are the others?' Jack asked, distracted.

Will waved his hand at the front of the chapel where two doors stood open letting the sunlight stream in. 'Went to look around, what do you mean one of Cross's crew?'

Jack explained what had happened in the weapons hold.

'... an' I left 'er in one of those bedrooms.'

Liz and Will gazed at him, open-mouthed.

'Aha ...' Liz breathed. 'Alright, so what do we-,'

'Will! Liz!' Anna-Maria sprinted into the chapel from outside. She paused upon seeing Jack. 'Captain? We've found 'er!'

'Found who?' Will asked.

'Not who, ya twit,' said Anna, proudly, 'what. The _Wanderer_, they've beached 'er jus' at the bottom of that hill!'

'Weapons?' Jack and Will said in unison.

Anna shook her head.

'Won' matter, we've found some,' Jack muttered, he turned back to the doorway, 'Liz, Will, come with me ...'


	31. The Key to Your Treasures

**Disclaimer: TV is a good thing**

'Tara, luv?'

'Oh, good you're back.'

Jack opened the door and cautiously peered into the room. She sat up upon seeing him and grimaced. Will entered the small room followed by Liz. They couldn't help but stare around the room and Will was surprised to see that Tara looked worse than Jack had described.

There was a dark, red scrape above her right eyebrow and on her left cheek. A scratch bled slightly on the same cheek. She was shockingly pale but be that as it may, was trying to stand.

'Lie back luv,' Jack murmured, putting his hand on her shoulder to try and stop her moving.

She shook her head. 'Help me up please.'

Jack shot Will a pleading look.

'Tara, you shouldn't move-,'

'Well, I'm moving with or without you, but without will take longer, and I'm sure, that you, like me, are not altogether willing to waste your patience.'

Jack, Will and Liz stared at her quizzically.

She sighed and raised her hand to show them something. 'Take a look at this.'

Jack reached forward and took the ring from her. 'What is it?'

'Look at the seal,' Tara suggested.

Liz peered at the purple stone over Will's shoulder. Inside the stone was a Fleur-de-lis.

Liz looked up at Tara. 'The Fleur-de-lis?'

'The official, Royal Emblem of the King of France,' Tara explained, taking hold of Jack's coat and raising herself from the bed, 'read the inscription.'

Will took the ring and raised it to the light to see the curved French.

Liz read it aloud. 'La clef à vos trésors Marquise.'

Unfortunately he couldn't understand it.

'Er...' he trailed off looking at Tara for help.

Tara glanced up at him and sighed. 'Roughly translated it means -,'

'The key to your treasures Marquise,' Jack finished. Tara raised an eyebrow as Will and Liz looked at him in surprise.

He shrugged. 'So I took a lesson or two.'

Tara laughed but stopped once she saw the look on his face. 'What? It's funny, this is kind of funny ... oh, fine then, Marquise, as we should all know is Louis the fifteen's mistress, and, as we should also know, France is currently in the War of the Austrian Succession.'

'So?' pressed Liz.

'So,' continued Tara, wincing slightly, 'before I left England, I heard a rumour from a friend who worked in the palace that Louis, sent the Marquise away for her safety. To a church. With bodyguards. And a large portion of the palace's valuables in case it was ever invaded.'

'Oh, I see, you think she was brought here?' Will questioned.

'Yes, look at this place, it's a Roman Catholic safehouse.'

Jack looked sceptical as he pulled Tara's hand around his neck to steady her. 'So what would you suggest?'

'The weapons room,' Tara said slowly, 'I need to go back there.'

'You think the weapons are hiding the valuables from the palace?' Liz asked in disbelief.

Tara shook her head. 'Not the weapons; the wall.'

xXx

'Uh, what happened to his face?' Liz mumbled in disgust, looking down at Hookes's body.

Tara grinned sheepishly.

'Are you _sure_ there's something here?' Will muttered, looking around at the swords on the walls.

'Well, I have a pretty good view of that wall,' Tara said softly as Jack helped her onto one of the crates, 'and it's the only one without anything on it. Just look for a Fleur-de-lis.'

Will looked uncertainly at Jack, but he had already started for the far wall. Five minutes later, they paused at the footsteps entering the room.

Anna-Maria stopped short, a look of awe on her face. 'When you said you'd found some, you weren't kidding ...'

'Holy Mary ...' Gibbs murmured in shock.

The crew behind him were suddenly very talkative, especially because of the body on the ground. To Will, the sounds had died away. He had just found a small round cleft in the rock in the very corner of the wall, about a metre off the ground. He pulled the gold ring from his pocket and glanced from it, back to the cleft. Inside it, was a tiny Fleur-de-lis. He pushed the ring into it; a perfect fit, and turned it. There was a loud rumbling sound as the wall moved back then slid halfway behind the wall on the left.

'Found it.'

**Review, I'm starved for reviews! **


	32. Dad

**Disclaimer: In case of emergency - call the fire brigade.**

As the wall moved away, a large room revealed itself, inside the room was a mountain of gold and silver. Thrones, coins, chests, goblets, jewellery and paintings. There was a sudden and shocked silence from the crowd.

'So much for a crazy theory!' Tara piped leaning on a large crate while trying to stand.

Jack tore his eyes away from the scene and looked back at his crew. 'Load everythin' onto the _Wanderer_.'

There was a moments silence, then the crew divided, half for the gold, half for the weapons. Tara, meanwhile, spotted the forgotten Chinese sword lying on the ground. She crouched down and picked it up, and used it to balance herself as she crossed the room to her father's side.

'What do you think?' she asked upon reaching him.

He looked down at her, grinning. 'An' 'ere I said there was nothin' worth stealin'.'

'I thought you didn't steal,' Tara replied, raising an eyebrow.

Jack shrugged. 'What can I say, we're devils.'

'And black sheep, and _really bad eggs_,' she added in a singsong voice. She smiled and looked at the treasure.

Jack peered at her from the corner of his eye. 'Tha' suits you, you know.'

She looked up at him curiously but still smiling. 'What?'

'Smilin'. Reaches your eyes.'

Tara looked back at the treasure room. She didn't quite know how to answer that. She glanced down at the Chinese sword awkwardly. The dragon that wound its way around the handle looked alive in the flickering candlelight. It seemed to be watching her.

Jack grinned down at her. 'Le's get outta 'ere, the crew can load the stuff aboard the _Wanderer_.'

xXx

'Right, then, you've got what you've been tryin' t' get for twelve years, what'd ya do?'

Jack paced back and forth across the Captain's Quarters of the _Wanderer_. Will was looking through the cabinets by the wall and Tara was sitting at the table in the corner while Liz tried to patch up the wounds and cuts on her face.

'Stop whining?' Tara suggested. She winced, 'Ow.'

Liz's face was scrunched up in annoyance and concentration. She leaned back and rolled her eyes. 'You should take that advice. Careful now, careful ...'

'Ow!'

'Too far ...'

Suddenly, Will cried out in disgust and leapt away from the cabinet. Liz, Tara and Jack stared at him curiously.

'Full chamber pot,' he explained, the look of disgust not leaving his face.

'Ew,' Tara muttered, wrinkling her nose in revulsion, 'that's vile. I hate this ship! We have to get the _Pearl _back!'

'How?' Liz asked, taking Tara's chin and turning her face slightly.

'I haven't figured that out yet ...'

Jack leaned on the table. 'Firs' we 'ave to find them, which brings us back t' the original question.'

'Erm ... celebrate?' Liz offered, moving back and admiring her work.

'Show it off!' Tara perked.

Will took a step toward the table, still eyeing the cabinets suspiciously. 'Where would you show off an infamous pirate ship without landing yourself in trouble with the Navy?'

There was a moment's silence as everyone contemplated the possibilities. Then, they reached an unspoken agreement and said in unison, 'Tortuga!'

xXx

The _Wanderer_, it seemed, was very different from the _Pearl_, more so than Tara first thought. Firstly, the obvious differences, the colour, the size, the general appearance. It was about half the _Pearl's_ size and the upper deck was level (whereas on the _Pearl_, stairs lead up to the poopdeck). The _Wanderer_ was also very mistreated, almost everything covered with a layer of dirt and grime. It smelled foul aboard. Deck boards were missing here and there, windows were cracked, there were leaks in the hull.

When Tara told Jack this, he didn't seem to believe anyone could do this to their ship, yet someone did. Now it was early morning and Tara, who had been finding it very difficult and painful to sleep, was sitting on a long crate at the foredeck, watching the sunrise and breathing in the fresh, sea air.

'Good mornin',' said a soft voice behind her.

She turned to see Jack step over the crate and sit next to her. 'Hello.' She looked back at the horizon.

'Beautiful, isn' it?'

Tara peered at him from the corner of her eye. 'Going sentimental on me, are you?'

He grinned. 'Statin' the obvious.'

'Ah,' Tara muttered, nodding.

They sat together in a comfortable silence, watching as the red sun started lighting more and more of the sky.

'Luv?' Jack said suddenly, jolting Tara out of her trance-like state. 'Why could you see it?'

It was a few seconds before Tara realised what he was talking about. 'You mean the _Wanderer_? Probably because of the pendant. Mother said it channelled power, maybe it took the power that makes it invisible and ... reversed it, somehow.'

Jack watched her quietly for a moment, then, 'But why could you see it after I took the pendant?'

Tara thought about it. 'Maybe ... there was a transition period. Maybe you have to get used to what you see.'

'Maybe,' Jack agreed. The silence arose again, only this time, anticipation hung in the air.

'Jack?'

'Yeah?'

'Can I call you Dad?'

The water sparkled a brilliant gold as the sunlight brightened.

'Course, luv. Thought you'd never ask.'


	33. Return to Tortuga

**Disclaimer: Eeeeeeeeee! Second-last chapter!  
**

'What's a high kick.'

'It's when you kick really high.'

Liz rolled her eyes. 'I'm aware of that, I meant could you show me.'

Tara raised an eyebrow as she finished untying the knot in a thin stretch of rope, the setting sun shining over the water behind her. 'Then why didn't you say, "Tara could you show me a high kick"?'

Liz looked back across the deck somewhat nervously. 'Well, that would have been somewhat awkward ...'

'Sweetie,' Tara started again, now making her way to the side rails, 'I promise to show you a high kick someday, but that day is not today, I remain convinced that I broke something vital yesterday.'

Liz nodded. 'I'm sorry, I should not have asked.' She glanced back at Jack at the Helm. He seemed to be having a sort of debate with Will. 'So are you two getting along?' she blurted.

Tara looked at her curiously from the corner of her eye. 'Yeah, why?'

Liz shrugged. 'You have not spoken much today.' She smiled guiltily and looked down, tracing lines in the wood.

Tara watched her for a second or two then glanced up at the Helm where her father was looking bored as Will seemed to be lecturing him.

Jack glanced down as spotted Tara looking at him. He grinned at her and looked back at Will, an amused expression on his face.

Tara looked away as Liz lifted her head in time to catch her smile. She frowned in confusion and peered up at the Helm only to see Jack apparently still in conversation with Will. She looked back at Tara curiously but her cousin just shrugged.

'Tortuga Ho, Captain!' yelled a voice from above causing everyone to look up, just in time to see the dark cliffs of an island rise from the sea.

Tara led the way to the Helm.

'Momen' of truth,' Jack said upon their arrival.

'What will we do if the _Pearl's_ not there?' Will asked softly.

There was an uncomfortable silence.

Tara glanced around the ship. They couldn't stay here, it wasn't right. 'We wait until it is.'

xXx

_The Wanderer_ sailed smoothly and silently into the Bay of Tortuga. The tension on board seemed to intensify as the crew searched the wide bay. They needn't have worried as the _Pearl_ had never been easier to spot. She was anchored right in the centre of the high cliffs surrounding the cove as though on show for the world to see.

'There doesn't _seem_ to be anyone on board,' perked Tara brightly.

'Probably coz they didn' expect us t' rise from the dead,' muttered Jack, unable to keep a bitter tone from his voice.

Tara looked up at him guiltily and placed a hand on his arm. 'But we did.'

He glanced down at her then turned to a patiently waiting Gibbs. 'Take 'er back. Will!'

'Of course,' he answered Jack's question before he had the chance to ask. Half the crew started for the longboats while the other half placed a gangplank between the _Pearl_ and the _Wanderer_.

'I'm coming with you,' said Tara following Jack closely. He turned to her and opened his mouth to protest. 'I have a score to settle, Dad.' She ducked around him and climbed into the rickety little boat. Jack blinked, slightly paralysed, then turned and jumped into the boat.

'Be like that, then,' he told her in a mock angry voice. She grinned.

xXx

'Spread out,' Jack told the crew once they were ashore, 'search everywhere.'

He, Tara, Will and a handful of others started for the nearest tavern. Despite the violent atmosphere, Tara could hear the merry tune of a very family song.

'_Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me. _

_We're beggars and blighters, ne'er-do-well cads, _

_Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho...'_

The singers trailed off, apparently forgetting the words.

With only half a mind Tara added the next line under her breath. '_But we're loved by our mommies and dads...'_

They entered the noisy Tavern and immediately spotted Cross and several of her crew, at a table in the furthest corner, singing a drunken melody off-tune.

It became more audible as they approached.

'Na na na naaaaaaaaaaa!' screeched Cross.

Tara fought with herself not to put her fingers in her ears.

'Oh look,' said one of the crew, 'ghosts!'

Cross looked up and suddenly the drunken smile left her face. She leapt to her feet and started for her gun, but several others were already cocked in her direction. She stared at them in shock and horror.

'N-no! It can't be...you're de-,'

Tara wrinkled her nose and shook her head. ' 'Fraid not, peach.'

Cross's companions had already raised their hands hastily.

'Tara, luv,' Jack started, his eyes not leaving Cross, 'mind waitin' for us at the docks?'

From the tone of his voice, Tara knew it was no request. 'Just one thing.'

In a single, swift movement, Tara glided onto the table, leapt off and kicked Cross square across the face, knocking her to the ground. She straightened up, fixed her shirt and walked briskly out of the Tavern.

'Will,' Jack muttered once she was gone, 'if I _ever_ argue with 'er again, stop me.'

Will didn't answer. He was fighting furiously to keep a straight face. 'Sure Jack, I'll do that.'


	34. Go

**Disclaimer: Whee! Last chappie, how sad! Okay, once I name the sequel, I'll start posting it! Thanks for all the reviews, they kept the story going, hope you'll read the next one!**

'What are you planning to do with the _Wanderer_?' Tara asked Jack at the Helm two days later as the neared Port Royal.

'We're takin' 'er t' Isla Da Muerta,' he replied not looking at her.

Tara sighed angrily. 'Would you just...talk! Please! I never thought I'd be asking you to talk... I mean, come on! Be fair! This is twice you've decided to give me the silent treatment!''

Jack grumbled something darkly but didn't answer her.

'Port Royal's ahead!'

'Prepare to dock!' Jack called across the decks. There was immediate upsurge in activity.

'Oh, for crying out ... stop being annoying! You were happy with my decision to stay in Port Royal ... you can't ignore me forever!' snapped Tara, getting more and more annoyed.

'Try me,' muttered Jack.

'You- you're the one who wants me to stay! Clearly that means you don't plan on ignoring me forever!'

Jack just continued to ignore her.

'Tara, come over here and help me!'

With a final dirty glare in her father's direction, Tara turned away and hurried down to help Liz.

xXx

Governor Swan was already waiting patiently on the dock for his daughter when the _Black Pearl_ lowered anchor. Liz hurried off into his embrace. Will stood on the docks bidding several of the crewmembers farewells.

Tara walked off the _Pearl_ in a very bad mood; the bag Clarice gave her in her arms. The Swan's butler forward and took it off her then retreated to wait at the Stagecoach.

Jack wandered very reluctantly after her, avoiding Will's all-knowing eye.

'You'd better be coming back,' Tara hissed in undertone, her eyes flickering to the butler, 'I don't know how long you plan to leave me with these people!'

Jack glanced at the man and looked back at Tara.

'You're the one who wants to stay,' he muttered passively, though Tara was sure she'd heard a note of remorse.

'I – well – I meant...' she dropped the act, suddenly desperate to make amends, 'you will come back won't you?'

Jack stared at her alarmed. 'Luv, giant squids wouldn't keep me away.'

Tara frowned in confusion. 'Where did you come up with giant squids?'

He shrugged. 'Seriously luv, be careful here, I don't wanna come back and see you hangin' from the gallows.' He stopped and stared at her as if he hadn't seen that as a possibility before. Without warning, he pulled her into a tight hug. Tara, though slightly alarmed by the sudden show of emotion, returned it.

'I promise I won't get myself killed,' she murmured lightly, 'don't worry too much.'

'I'll be back soon, I swear,' Jack muttered.

They broke apart, his eyes studied her for a moment, then he kissed her lightly on the top of her head, turned and joined the rest of the crew aboard the _Pearl_.

'Set sail!' Jack called out.

As the dark ship vanished over the horizon, Tara couldn't help but feel a deep sense of loss. She felt tears welling in her eyes and blinked furiously.

'Tara.'

She turned to see Will, Liz and her Uncle waiting for her patiently at the end of the dock.

Liz motioned to the coach. 'Let's go.'

As they started for the coach, Tara looked at the horizon, where the setting sun shone like a large red globe.

'Yeah,' she whispered to herself, 'go.'

_**As it goes, by the story that's already told,**_

_**Comes a time when we all must let go.**_


	35. Captain's Note

**Oh My God! It's an Author's Note! The Horror!**

Nah, I'm kidding, I just wanted to post a **BIG** thankyou to my reviewers! Yay! I have friends! Especially the following:

**TriGemini**- So dedicated, reviewed every chapter and gave a big opinion about what was actually happening in the story. Thanks so much, I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

**Nightsoul**- Fellow Aussie! Well, sorta...I'm actually an Australian CITIZEN, originally I was born in Russia, moved to New Zealand in '95 and moved to Australia in '99, but yeah, Cest La Ve! (I don't know what that means...) Good to hear you enjoyed your firsit Fanfic, don't worry, Freo and the Eagles still have a chance in next years season...

**Animebishieluver -** Oh, huh...You are so right...she didn't mention that, though technically he's her HALF-Uncle, but I'll mention it in the sequel, and if I don't, I'm relying on you to remind me to. Thanks!

**Mrs. R Sparrow - **Thankyou so much! I'm glad you said you'd buy my writing, coz I've started planning my novel...hee hee...no, I'm not kidding. Yes before you ask, it will be about Pirates, though if you can recommend anything else, I'd love to hear from you!

**Isnt-someone-missing-me-** Yes, Kat I know it's you..I'm not dub! I mean dumb...ahem...you know I'm grateful, need I say more...Yes...umm...FLYING HEADS!

**Macca- **You slacker! How could you take so long!

**And to everyone else who was shoved off the first review page by Kat's long list of reviews...I apologize on her behalf...she hadn't read this story in a looooonnnggg time. All I can say to those who read till the end...You have the patience of tigers waiting for their prey...**

**I'll be posting the sequel soon, it's called _Diamonds and Pearls 2: The Keys to the First Circle_thats if it'll fit...It'll be posted sometime in the next week.**

**In the meantime, thanks, you're all cool and please don't die before it's posted... **

_**If I go crazy then will you still call me superman!**_

_**If I' m alive and well, will you be there, holding my hand?**_

_**I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman mind,**_

_**Kryptonite...da na da na da na da na...doo dee doo dee doo dee...**_

**Sorry, fitting. Seeya!**


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